Reflections Vol 5: Paying the Price
by avmorgan
Summary: Volume 5. Ranko promised to marry Herb, but is he playing games with her? The question could become moot once Saffron enters the picture...
1. Part 01: Full Circle

Full Circle

* * *

Ranko Saotome paused, blinking, as she emerged from the dark interior of the village meeting hall. So great was the shock from her audience with the Council of Elders, the impact of mere light was almost enough to topple her. The rich textures of hand crafted dwellings, the vibrant colors of the amazon maidens who loitered in front of their homes or strolled by in small groups, even the lush green forests and meadows visible in the background, could not capture or compel her eyes to focus. In spite of that, trained instincts moved her gracefully to the side in time to evade the storm of young people who raced out of the communal building in different flavors of excitement.

The high point in this spectrum of human emotion was set by Shampoo, who seemed to bounce about without ever quite touching the ground. Keeping her anchored to the ground with a firm grasp and air of abject despair was the recently dubbed amazon maiden, Mirror—known only to a select few as Mousse. Ukyo pursued the pair with a smile and a look of murder in her eye. An anxious Ryouga stopped a few feet in front of Ranko, avoiding Akane who ground to a halt right in front of him to glare in outrage at the amazons, furious about what Shampoo had done.

Turning to speak to Ranko, Ryouga came up against her blank expression, but he had come to understand her well enough to know that mental disconnection concealed profound emotional turmoil. That was a trait that hailed back, as far as Ryouga knew, to Ranma. It only served as a reminder that she was, in every way that mattered, the girl who stole his heart. The girl who seemed to be slipping further from his grasp with every bizarre twist in her chaotic life, and there was precious little he could do about it. He could not even talk to her about it without adding to the misery that she was so determined to hide. In the face of such frustration, Ryouga could not help reclaiming the title of World Heavyweight Champion of Depression—for which he was rewarded with a sudden transformation into the cutest, little, black piglet to ever drown in a pile of clothes.

"Bweee!" he blurted in outrage. Ironically, that seemed to snap Ranko out of her trance, forcing her to look down and take note of the piglet.

"Geez, Ryouga. It's not the end of the world, or anything," Ranko protested ruefully and stuffing her hands deep into her pockets. There was something about having a one-sided conversation with "P-Chan" that always brought a smirk to her lips. It was still amusing, and tragic, that Ryouga had been cured of his Heitonniichuan curse only to have it return, courtesy of a corrupted shishihokodan, as a new, depression triggered curse. Squatting down, she met the pig eye to eye as he squirmed out through the neck of his shirt. Poking Ryouga gently on the snout, she added, "Not that I shouldn't be in a pit of despair right with you, after what they've pulled on me."

Ranko closed her eyes, reflecting on the events just passed, wondering if there had been any way to avoid traps she had fallen into. Just showing up seemed to have been the worst mistake. The three days she had been unconscious had cost her far more than she could have imagined. From the way the meeting had opened, Ranko had been confident that she could finally break away from the tangled mess she had gotten into by cooperating with Cologne.

She could not have been more wrong.

Ranko had really wrapped the fish sausages around herself when she declared her intention to return with her mother to their home in Japan. The cunning old cats on the council had bared their claws and fangs at that. The elder immediately to the right of Cologne had stood up at once to declare that, with the completion of Nodoka and Ranko's adoptions, the village had become their official home. Apparently, the scheme to establish the identities of Fa Shen and Ranko and enable Nodoka to adopt them and return with them to Japan, had a developed a nasty catch. The amazons Cologne gave the task to had pulled some strings with the Chinese Communist government to make their new identities completely legal—and binding. That made Ranko a Chinese citizen at the moment. Without making an open threat, the old woman had made it clear that the tribe was more than capable of interfering with the legal adoption of Ranko in Japan. Put simply, Ranko was not going anywhere without the blessings of the Council. That point made, the Council returned to the question of Ranko's official status in the tribe.

The Council had decided to question more than her claim to Matriarch status.

To that end, the poor girl had learned, the Council had been conducting interviews of her companions while she was incapacitated to determine if Ranko was to be viewed as a true woman, or if she was to be treated like Ranma had been, as an "honorary" woman. In light of her recent fusion, they were "concerned" that Ranko would be overly influenced by the experiences and persona of Ranma. They were painting a portrait of Ranma's personality from everyone's accounts, and would use that to measure the contamination of Ranko. Another consequence of the fusion, Ranko had been found responsible for all the actions she had taken by herself, or through her analogs, from the moment she woke up in the Nyanniichuan and bridged the lives of Ranma and Fa Shen. As far as Ranko could tell, it was all useless quibbling. The whole business of refining her "status" had already been revealed as an attempt to bind and restrict her. The interrogations of Akane, Ukyo and Ryouga were already finished, having taken a day apiece. In the absence of Mousse, the last people the Council needed to question were Shampoo and Ranko. Within minutes of the start of Shampoo's interrogation, Ranko had been rendered catatonic with boredom.

Nodoka had been livid, however. While looking prim, proper and attentive to the world, she was issuing scathing comments and complaints under her breath to Ranko throughout the proceedings. Ranko welcomed the distraction, and for the most part agreed with her mother's opinions. From what she could tell, Nodoka's adoption had been a pleasant and uncomplicated affair. Even the formal recognition of Fa Shen, Ranko and Ranma as returning amazons, when they first arrived in the village, had occurred without complications and confusion. Everything had been calm and pleasant until the return of Akane's temper—and preference for a Ranma shaped target—had resulted in Ranma's public defeat at her hands. Added to that was a little misunderstanding about what Ranma's favorite pet insult for Akane implied. It just snowballed from there, until Akane infected herself with a chi based boy-curse and Fa Shen—a legitimate, Ranma shaped target—fell prey to the tomboy's temper. Of course, Akane had been mortified to receive the kiss of marriage. Ranko could remember the moment that Fa Shen "surrendered" to her "husband" and how she had disarmed Akane's fury before kissing her—or rather, him at the time—with a not so subtle reminder that the alternative was to be chased to the ends of the earth and killed by Fa Shen instead. In retrospect, now that the marriage part was dissolved, it was a funny situation.

Ranko was laughing silently at the memory of it all, when the fatal question almost slipped by.

"Wait. Did you just say Ranko challenged you before that fight?" Nai Lon croaked in surprise. Like everyone else, the elder's attention had drifted during the torturous recap of life in Nerima from Shampoo's perspective, delivered in broken Japanese for the benefit of Nodoka and the outsiders who accompanied Ranko. In a tale that seemed like utter fiction, one important fact had almost slipped by. In the middle of the row of Elders, Cologne stiffened and stared at Ranko intently.

Shampoo nodded, "That almost correct. Ranko was Ranma then. All day chase Shampoo, bother her all time, no go away. Shampoo do many things to chase him away. Beat him up, knock him down, yell in ear, anything Shampoo can do make him see Shampoo hate him. Ranma not know it was Reversal Jewel that make Shampoo heart become cold, he just keep trying to find out why Shampoo not be nice to him anymore. That why he challenge Shampoo to fight, so Shampoo forced to give kiss of marriage and say Shampoo love Airen. When Shampoo lose, feel like want to die, rather be married to Panda-Man father, because Reversal Jewel turn all great good feelings to dust that poison soul with hate. Shampoo wish never find Reversal Jewel. Never want feel that again. It so bad, Shampoo always block out memory all time, no like have such evil thinking about Ai... Ranko."

There was a long pause, during which Ranko felt the pit of her stomach open up into an abyss.

"Did you give him the kiss of marriage, Xian Pu?"

"No. Shampoo all time kiss husband, no think it necessary to make official."

There was a commotion as the Elders turned away and formed a little huddle. Nai Lon turned back and glared at Cologne for a moment. There had been a faint ring of falsehood to the testimony the Council had been given to explain the dissolution of Shampoo's marriage to "Ranma". It had not been worth disputing the loss of an outsider male when the tribe gained a resurrected warrior from legend and two reincarnations of her in his place. But, as a matter of policy, Nai Lon had wondered why Cologne had allowed Shampoo to lie to the Council. The question of Ranko's gender was a moot point to the Council, in truth, but the issue allowed the Elders to discretely probe the history of the Matriarch's stay in Japan, and perhaps expose the Matriarch's deception. Now that an inconsistency had come up, Nai Lon was eager to press, "When you returned to the village, Xian Pu, you reported that you had abandoned your claim to Ranma because of the things you learned when he became divided into Ranma, Ranko and Fa Shen. The specific reason being that you were not defeated by an outsider, so your claim was invalid. This, however, is a legitimate challenge, from one tribe member to another, and yet you failed to recognize it. Is it your intention to give up this claim, or will you resume your suit of Ranko?"

Shampoo's eyes got huge. Her eyes flicked over to Mirror, then locked on Ranko. The red-head looked pale and nervous, leaning unconsciously into Ryouga next to her. Swallowing nervously, Shampoo looked back at the Council. "Shampoo swear she never try force Ranko be man for her. Shampoo love very, very much. But… Even if Ranko be all girl, Shampoo want be wife of Ranko. Even if Shampoo must be man, must be husband, Shampoo want Ranko be wife of Shampoo. Shampoo not know what to do."

Elder Hei Ya Pin cleared her throat and asked, "Do I hear you correctly, Xian Pu? You would willingly be the wife OR husband if you could be with Ranko?"

"Shampoo happy be whatever Ranko want. Shampoo hate cat curse form because Ranko have big fear of all cats. Can be no worse punishment in hell than be very thing that one you love fear more than death. More than anything, Shampoo want Ranko love Shampoo as much as Shampoo love Ranko. Shampoo even give up claim if that make Ranko love even little bit," the purple-haired girl admitted with blushing frankness. Inside she was trembling with hope and fear.

"In that case, your claim need not wait on the ruling of the Council. By issuing the challenge man to woman and defeating you, Ranko has given you a valid claim. It would be no different if the challenge were made woman to woman," Hei Ya Pin announced. "Is this not true, Matriarch?"

Cologne sighed, this would only make Ranko that much more difficult to control. Unfortunately, there was no denying it. "That is a correct interpretation of the law in such circumstances." Cologne wanted to kick herself for overlooking the significance of Ranko's actions during the Reversal Jewel incident, but it would have been undignified. She was tempted to kick herself anyway, seeing how Hei Ya Pin's words had chased every shred of common sense and self-preservation out of Shampoo's head. The problem was, it would be ridiculously out of character for Cologne to object to a marriage between her great-granddaughter and her new heir. The best she could do was weaken Shampoo's position. "Ranko's gender does not affect the status of Shampoo's claim. However, she did not grant Ranko the kiss of marriage in response to that defeat, and in the interim the outsiders Ryouga and Akane have each established themselves as suitors for Ranko's hand. Under such circumstances, they have a right to challenge any claim Shampoo can make at this point."

Effectively, Cologne's protest amounted to little more than determining the order of seniority among spouses—since Ryouga and Akane had both become ambisexual. "As if bringing other 'men'—strong enough to be suitable husbands for Ranko—into a marriage involving Shampoo and Ranko would be undesirable," one of the other old women laughed. There was no telling who was liable to be a husband or wife in their tangled relationship. "Since I understand that one of the outsider males consummated his marriage with one of the reflections of Ranko, I'd say he has a bit more than a claim to her. Just the same, Ryouga and Akane are outsiders, so the point of contention would be between Xian Pu and Ranko over who is the senior wife or who is the husband to who. In either case, Shampoo would be granted special dispensation to acquire a Nanniichuan curse to accommodate Ranko's."

Shampoo gnawed on her lip through this commentary. As the Elder finished, Shampoo sprung impulsively toward Ranko. Ranko responded to the lunge precisely the same as she always had, freezing in shock as the other girl molded the luscious curves of her body conform to Ranko's and captured the red-head's mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. Ryouga, Akane and Ukyo went ballistic and Nodoka did an impromptu Kasumi impersonation while everyone else stared, wondering if Ranko could even breathe under Shampoo's assault. Fortunately, before the smaller girl could pass out, Shampoo leaned back and murmured, "Wo Ai Ni." She might as well have meowed for all the joy Ranko expressed at her declaration of love. One look at the rigid, stunned girl was enough to convince the Elders it was a good time to quit for the day. They called the meeting to an end, excused themselves and exited out the back. Cinnamon had murmured something to Nodoka and pursued them with a fierce look.

Ranko had simply turned and walked out of the building, when Shampoo let go to perform an impromptu victory dance. As much as Ranko had wanted to be angry at Shampoo for leaping at the chance to pursue her again, there was no denying that Ranko brought it on herself. It had almost been comforting, having things jump one step closer to restoring the status quo. Not that things would ever be the way they were again. In fact, the one thing she had feared as Ranma had finally occurred. She now had to contend with engagements to multiple men as well as women. She had to shake her head in dismay.

Opening her eyes again, she found P-Chan regarding her intently. Her lips gained a wry twist. He looked so serious, waiting patiently, his entire being focused on her as she struggled with the chaos of her life. It was so cute, she wanted to roll her eyes. She had to be careful to remember that cute little form was the bane of Ryouga's existence. "Would you stop lookin' at me like that, Porkchop?" she demanded in feigned irritation, surrendering to a sudden impulse to shake Ryouga out of his latest funk. Unfortunately, this one technique she devised as Ranma had unique disadvantages she had forgotten about, the first of which was how Ryouga had been conditioned to respond after exhaustive use. "I've seen you look happier reading a map."

"Ernk!" Ryouga glared, his temper triggered automatically by her tone of voice and manner, so typical of how she used to taunt him as Ranma. Before Ryouga had even realized it, he had lunged forward, and sunk his teeth into Ranko's forearm. The pig's eyes widened in mortified alarm.

Ranko winced, holding in a shout of pain and automatically braining the pig with her other fist. As if that were a ritual of summoning, a large, familiar mallet crowned Ranko at the exact same moment.

"Ranma! Stop picking on Ryouga!" Akane barked in irritation as she too was set off by ingrained habit. Taking a second glance at her past or future fiancé and her former pet, her fury melted into a concerned look. "I'm… I'm sorry, Ranko." Akane carefully removed the mallet and stowed it away. The red-head had barely flinched at the blow, but now stood staring at the ground, her face veiled by her bangs. "Hey. Are you alright?"

It took a moment, as Akane and Ryouga studied her self-consciously, for Ranko to respond. Blinking again, she looked up and met Akane's eyes. Then her attention was drawn slightly to the side as Ukyo suddenly loomed over Akane, battle-spatula raised, ready to rain down righteous punishment if Akane offered Ranko any more violence. Naturally, Ranko's instinctive response was to backpedal away from both of them and raise warding hands. Both girls flinched in dismay, then looked down as the piglet let out a plaintive squeal of frustration, struggling harder to escape a sea of cloth.

Ukyo wordlessly plucked Ryouga out of the pile of clothes and handed him to Ranko, who hugged him reflexively to her bosom. A better cure for Ryouga's depression could not be asked for, even if it did make the piglet's blood pressure skyrocket. While the common myth held that spontaneous nosebleeds were the affliction of virginal young males, the reality in Ryouga's case was that he could no more control his libido than he could contain any other emotional impulse. Being crushed, full body, into twin mounds of soft, warm flesh, the only possible response he could make was to shudder, sighing in pleasure, before a fountain of blood spurted from his snout and he embraced his bliss. Ukyo, holding Ryouga's clothes out to Ranko in a bundle, glared as the red-head suddenly blushed furiously. The chef did not need to be telepathic to realize what had possessed the minds of Ryouga and Ranko. Fortunately, Ukyo was not telepathic, and was spared the actual flood of images and remembered sensations detailing exactly how Ryouga once redirected his erotic impulses. With a gasp, Ranko dropped the puny porker and reeled back as she felt a familiar and unprecedented tingle surging through her from himclear even through the new and unpleasant searing agony caused by his chi washing over her raw nerves. Ryouga emitted a squeal of surprise at the same time, shocked back to his senses and yet almost too stunned to land on his feet. He knew the sensation intimately. He'd felt it every time he had changed forms. It was oddly different this time. For one thing, instead of a flash of numbed neurological chaos, the sensation spread and mounted slowly. It expanded, consuming his awareness, until it overwhelmed all other thought or sensation. It was unbelievably intense, but before his mind could decide if the feeling was pain or pleasure, it dissipated just as inexorably.

"Ryouga!" Ranko exclaimed with a look of alarm and confusion. She had never sensed anything in direct association with someone else's curse. At the same time, with the painful hypersensitivity she had developed to chi flows after the battle with Herb, there was no question in her mind that she had felt the surge of transformation. She rubbed her hands and arms, to relieve the searing pain that had resulted from her proximity to the chi surge, and stared at the piglet. It did not take a genius to figure out what had triggered it, but Ranko was unable to fathom why the surge stopped short of transformation.

"Ranko? Are you okay?" Akane was staring at the prodigal martial-artist in deeper concern. "You look like you're about to pass out."

Ranko reoriented herself, carefully turning away from Akane and Ukyo, and knelt down to pick up Ryouga. As soon as she touched him, she could tell he was shocked as well. Ranko nestled him in her arms with great care and gently stroked his head and back to calm him. It took them a moment to catch their breath and calm their racing hearts. As she straightened, she felt the pressure of the other girls' expectant gazes. Absently, Ranko shook her head and replied, "I'm fine, Akane. I just…" She snapped her mouth shut before she could elaborate on what she and Ryouga "just" experienced. That last thing she wanted or needed to do was explain to Akane and Ukyo that the memory of having sex with her had almost turned Ryouga human again. "And I thought just getting wet was inconvenient," Ranko muttered to herself, semi-conscious of the fact that Ryouga's hearing was keen enough to pick that up.

"What was that? You just what?" Akane pressed, with her unerring instinct for homing in on the best possible fodder for an explosive misunderstanding.

"Ranko?" The new voice was accompanied by a hand resting on Ranko's shoulder. A hand that belonged to her mother.

"Mrs. Saotome?" Akane shifted her gaze to the woman standing in the door behind Ranko.

Cologne hopped into the light and cleared her throat. "That is not the proper way to address my daughter in this village, child." With a slight shake of her head, she chuckled to herself. Since the adoption ceremony for Nodoka, held while Ranko was recovering from her fight with Prince Herb, she had been trying to get it through the heads of the Nerima teens that it was appropriate for them to just use Nodoka's name, or the designation Matron if they wished to be polite. With a glance and brief nod to Nodoka, she urged, "Go ahead, Daughter."

Nodoka managed to nod and reply without her usual disoriented pause, "Thank you, Mother." Nodoka was impressed that no ire or resentment tainted her voice. Over the past few days, the completion of the adoption process begun at their arrival in the village had been a welcome distraction from the endless worrying about Ranko, as she recuperated in the hands of the Musk. Unfortunately, she was stuck with the consequences now, as the Council had been quick to remind her when her daughter was snubbed by the council and begged to go home. Nodoka was greatly displeased to have been used to give the amazons more leverage over Ranko, and Cologne was going to hear about it the next time they spoke in private. Of course she blamed herself more for failing to predict how far the amazons would go to keep Ranko from slipping out of their grasp. Nodoka was impressed, despite herself, at how well they had covered every contingency. Even to the point of slipping a wedge in between mother and daughter.

Naturally, Nodoka was desperate to find out how bad the damage there was. "Ranko-chan, we should sit down and discuss this," she prompted gently, but firmly. Ukyo, Ryouga and Akane instantly formed up in a group around Ranko, silently refusing to be separated from the object of their affections. With a nod, Nodoka included them in her suggestion. "The three of you might as well come along. I know some of you missed breakfast, and the meeting ran straight through lunch. We can get something to eat while we sort out the Council's decision. Cinnamon will join us later." That last had been a warning and reminder, both for the teens and for Cologne. The dragon had not minced words about how seriously she took her temporary role as Ranko's advocate.

The teens all nodded mutely and cleared a path through the crowd of natives for Nodoka and Ranko. Mother and daughter were both grateful. Since their arrival in the village, the amazons had been hovering always within earshot to learn all they could about the new tribe members. They were polite, so most of the time it was not really an annoyance, but at a moment like this Nodoka wanted to provide her daughter some privacy. Nodoka had not seen the girl seem so vulnerable since she recovered from the paralysis induced by Ranma and Fa Shen's "awakening".

As they moved down the path toward Cologne's home, Ranko frowned and mumbled, "I don't see the point. I just wanna go. I just wanna get away from the stupid amazons, and stupid Herb. I wanna go before some other weirdo from some crazy Chinese village pops up and starts tryin' to make me marry him or join his tribe." She turned and glanced back over her shoulder into the meeting hall. If she had not been crippled at the moment, she would have taken great delight in bringing the whole building down around the Council of Elders' heads. With a wry smile, she added to herself, "I've gotta ask Cinnamon what she did to get them to expel her from the tribe."

* * *

Ranko sat at the table studying P-Chan. In the background, she could hear Cologne in the kitchen directing the efforts of Shampoo and Mirror. Akane and Ukyo flanked her to either side, and her mother sat serenely across the table from her. The three amazons had retreated wordlessly in response to a question from Ranko to Shampoo. The red-head had asked the other girl, point blank, if she intended to reveal the fact that she seduced Fa Shen into consummating their marriage. Shampoo had frozen, pale as death, and stared at Ranko's stern visage helplessly until Cologne ushered her and Mirror out of the room. The rest had avoided looking at Ranko as they all settled down to wait for food to be prepared. They were all disturbed to have Ranko pick up on and point out such an important detail before anyone else could think of it. After what they had all witnessed in the village meeting hall, there was no doubt how the Council of Elders would respond to that little revelation, if it was ever presented to them. Fortunately, Ranko's reaction had compelled them to cut Shampoo's interrogation short and prevented that fact from coming to light.

"And here I thought this just put everything back to the way it was," Ukyo finally broke the silence.

Ranko glanced up at the okonomiyaki chef and sighed. Shaking her head, she countered, "Nothing's ever going to be the way it was."

Akane bit her lip and put a hand over one of Ranko's. When the red-head met her eye, she suggested, "You don't have to let them get away with it. I mean, technically, Ryouga got to you first. I may not get all these weird amazon laws, but…"

"It doesn't work like that, Akane. Whenever you think you've got the rules on your side, they just go and change the rules," Ranko growled savagely. "The only reason I allowed Cologne to bring me back into the tribe was to protect myself from the way they abused outsiders. I was so stupid, thinking the laws offered any protection at all. I was stupid to think I was safe as an amazon, that I was too good for anyone to beat. But no, any excuse is good enough if it serves the elder's whims. No. There's no way to make the laws work for you. They'll just bend them until they don't." Ranko took a few deep breaths and calmed herself. "I did it all to get out of marrying Shampoo. And now, because of that, they can use everything else that's happened to declare us married. It was all pointless. Hell, the whole trip was a waste, since I'm stuck again, and might not ever be able to turn back into a boy!"

That last bit came as something of a shock to the others. "What? That's not what Cinnamon said!" Nodoka cried out.

"It's true, Mom. I've had three whole days to heal, and I can't stand to even touch my chi. I could unlock my curse easily enough, but I don't know if I'd survive changing. You all saw what happened to Herb, right?" Ranko nodded after seeing the others nod. "So, I'm stuck as a girl, stripped of my chi abilities, and still engaged to too many people to make satisfying everyone's honor possible. I could have just stayed home and been better off."

"You said you wanted to go home," Ukyo reminded.

"Yeah. I don't care what some moldy old elder says about my adoption and new identity, this ain't my home. Not as Ranma, not as Fa Shen, not as me." In truth, there was only one place Ranko could really think of as home, and given the situation she doubted she would be welcomed back at the Tendo Dojo. It would probably cost her too much to even try. That thought caused her to bite her lip. Genma was a stubborn man. Worse than that, he had a somewhat skewed view of reality. Even if she told him she was not his child, even if she revealed everything Cinnamon had told her and Nodoka, Genma would refuse to believe it. He would look at the outcome of her fusion and try to force her to go back to being Ranma. Not the Ranma that emerged among the triplets either, but the ignorant, uncultured, misogynistic, macho man-among-men he had worked so hard to create. It was ironic. If there was one thing that made Ranko less inclined to embrace her manhood, she could not think of it. At the same time, her experience as Genma's son made her uneasy about her prospects as Nodoka's daughter. The flash in her mother's eye, when Akane "selflessly" suggested Ranko marry Ryouga to escape from a union with Shampoo, was all the warning she needed in that regard. While part of her leapt at the idea of going home with her mother, the knowledge that she would be pressed into the mold of what Nodoka considered a proper woman discouraged her. There would be no chance for her to really explore the feelings she had for the lost boy if she was being thrust relentlessly toward marriage.

Ranko looked down and swallowed her anger. What was the point of worrying about that when she had promised to marry Herb? What was the point of worrying about her future happiness or her feelings for Ryouga or Akane or Ukyo, when she no longer had the luxury of being in love? Once again, she felt a surge of helplessness that made her want to speak up, reveal the horrible situation she had gotten herself into and ask for help getting out of it. Instead, she was forced to step around it, to protect them from harm by keeping her fate a secret. Clearing her throat, she announced, "I want all of you to go home. Tonight."

There was an immediate commotion at the table. Even Cologne, Shampoo and Mirror burst in from the kitchen.

In the babble of concerned and alarmed voices, Ranko could not make anything out. She stood up, holding her hands out for silence. "This is important. Everything we needed to do on this trip has been done, or there's nothing more that we can do to fix things. I want to go home too, but I made a promise to Prince Herb and I don't want any of you becoming involved trying to protect me."

"What kind of promise are you talking about?" Cologne demanded at once, silencing everyone else with her tone.

Ranko turned to look at her. "A promise that keeps all of you safe, as long as you don't do anything Herb or the Musk can take direct offence at."

"What did you promise him?" Nodoka asked worriedly.

Ranko looked down. What could she tell them that would not rile them up against Herb? In a hesitant voice, she went with the first idea that came to her. "I kinda sorta promised him I would not marry anyone until things were sorted out between us." That stunned them all into silence. Scrabbling along, Ranko looked up plaintively. "I sorta figured, at the time, what I'd figured out would nullify the amazon marriages, and the stuff Cinnamon told us would cancel all the engagements that Pops made. I wanted to keep him from attacking anyone I cared about, so I had to make him believe you were not a threat to him. Now, this thing with Shampoo comes up… I don't know what to do. I can't marry her, or I'll be breaking my promise. So, I have to fight it. I'll have to get expelled from the tribe, I guess."

Cologne paled. The last thing she wanted was to see Ranko follow in Cinnamon's footsteps. Particularly not while the dragon considered herself Ranko's champion. As unsurprising as it was that Ranko was inclined to forsake her amazon heritage, she remained vital to the old woman's plans. Plans so important she had been willing to throttle Shampoo herself to keep the girl's insane infatuation with the prodigal martial artist from driving Ranko away. "As I pointed out in front of the Council, Shampoo can only make claim to an engagement with you under the present circumstances. Shampoo herself only wants a fair chance to win your heart, there will be no schemes or scams to force you together with her. I am on your side in this, Ranko. Please, do nothing rash, Child. Permit me time to set things right."

Ranko studied the wizened old woman. "If you had recognized me as an elder, I would have claimed the right to establish a new tribe. I would have returned home with honor. I would have remained an asset of the tribe, without sacrificing my integrity or autonomy," Ranko declared with an uncharacteristic formality. "You never gave me a chance to work with you. You always had to be in control. You never understood I was always the one in control. I was always the one who had what you wanted. That made me the power to be reckoned with all along, skill and experience be damned. That has not changed. That will not change. The initiative is mine."

Cologne gaped, while Shampoo and Mirror literally toppled over in shock.

Ranko grinned suddenly. "I'll be damned. Mom's lectures… that is, ah, Pa Shen… when I was Fa Shen… Oh, never mind. Point is, I guess I really did learn something from all her nagging." Shrugging, she returned to that more severe tone. "I want you to take my friends and family away from here, Cologne. I want to know they are all safe from Herb, before I go back to complete our business together. You owe me this."

To the surprise of everyone present, Cologne bowed, and in a very meek voice answered, "Yes… Princess."

Ranko's eyes nearly spat themselves out of their sockets. "What's with this 'Princess' crap, again?" she demanded, looking uncomfortable.

"If you did not want the title, you should not play the part," Cologne retorted with a cryptic smile.

"Huh?" Ranko blinked in confusion.

Cologne sighed. "Why do you think I have pursued you so earnestly? Why do you think I have invested so much in you?"

"You were planning on making her this amazon princess all along?" Ukyo inquired disbelievingly.

"Come along, girls. We have a meal to tend to, and much more besides if we are to depart this evening," Cologne nudged Shampoo and Mirror into motion, instead of responding. There was a prolonged silence as they resumed bustling about the kitchen and the others stared at a frozen Ranko.

"So. You promised you wouldn't marry anyone?" Ukyo prodded, poking the red-head with an extended index finger.

"He threatened to remove anyone who got in the way of him marrying me…" Ranko muttered.

"So, what? You tell him he can have a clear shot at you? Aren't you just playing into his hands?"

"Come on, Ucchan. I had to do something to keep him from going after other people to get to me."

"Well… I guess," Ukyo accepted uneasily. "I don't suppose it really changes all that much…"

"At least you didn't promise to marry him if you lost," Akane quipped in askance.

"Bweee!" Ryouga concurred.

Ranko tried to swallow the lump in her throat unobtrusively. Then she laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

The three teens—two girls and one piglet—stared at her in sudden alarm. Exchanging looks with each other, the same thought was clearly at the front of all their minds. Ranko still could not bluff to save her life.

* * *

That evening, Ranko stood outside Cologne's home to bid her mother and friends goodbye. She suspected that Ryouga, Akane and Ukyo had guessed the truth about her promise to Herb, so she was surprised they were putting up so little fuss. The worst so far had been the private moments with each of them during the afternoon. Given the situation, Ranko saw no harm in explaining to them that Herb had only demanded the same thing Shampoo hada chance to win her heart.

The obvious question for each of them had been about their own chances at winning her heart. Ryouga was particularly difficult for Ranko to deal with. Every fiber of her being called out to him, screamed at her to choose him, but the engagements with Akane and Ukyo still weighed too heavily on her conscience for Ranko to surrender to that impulse. All she could say to him was that she needed to sort out the complications from her life as Ranma, before she was free to explore her options as Ranko.

Akane and Ukyo had been slightly distressed when Ranko asked them to decide who it was they had had feelings for, her or Ranma, and what they would do if Ranma never returned. In one sense, that was a reference to her doubts about being able to reactivate her curse to be a man again. In a deeper sense, there was the question of Genma's legitimacy as a father, and the possibility of voiding all the agreements the crooked panda had made. But all of that was just a distraction from the choice Nodoka had presented her with.

Should Ranko close the book on her former lives? Should she let Ranma and Fa Shen die, officially? By absorbing her other selves, and losing the capacity to endure the effects of either of her curses, Ranko was in a position to exploit that suggestion. It was not like she could ever revert to being the person Ranma or Fa Shen had been before their tragedies at Jusenkyo. Being Ranko was the best she could do to acknowledge and accept who she had been in who she was now. Besides, there was the possibility—less horrifying than it once might have been—that Genma would disown her, declare Ranma dead himself, to punish Ranko for the loss of her manhood.

She just hoped, again, that she would not be forced to marry Soun like the old men had threatened when Herb locked her curse the first time.

Ranko already knew better than to hope there were no engagements lurking out there for her as a girl. The mess with Picolet Chardin had already established the fact that Genma had been as quick to promise his daughters, fictional or not, as payment of debts and leverage to manipulate people. In fact, she had to make sure that Herb and Spice did not go and dangle wealth and luxuries before Genma's nose to win the lazy panda's endorsement of the marriage. That was her main reason for staying in China while sending her family and friends home. The Musk were only interested in her, and they would not stray near the likes of Genma or her other would be suitors if she did not lead them there. For now, the only ally she could count on was Cinnamon. Fortunately, Cinnamon was the most powerful thing around at the moment, and it was possible the old dragon, for all her interest in Ranko, had no particular interest in human practices and institutions like marriage. It might be inevitable that Ranko would have to sleep with Cinnamon to appease the dragon. If it came to that, Ranko could always imagine she was with another duplicate of herself, and that was now rather familiar territory.

Ranko noticed that everyone's gear had finally been assembled and accounted for. Nodoka and Cologne were standing with Mirror, as she studied the magic compact mirror and nodded. Even though the male form of Mousse was locked away, the master of hidden weapons could still assume the form of a mandarin duck. Mirror would provide the group's transportation to Shanghai, where Nodoka would take over as the compact's courier for the plane trip back to Japan. The trip was supposed to take them about four days. Ranko had been assured by Cinnamon that she could fly Ranko to Tokyo, as shown to her on a map, in one night in dragon form, so in theory Ranko would be arriving just a few days after the others. If flying on a dragon's back did not drive her into the neko-ken.

"I guess you're all ready then?" Ranko asked, coming up next to her mother.

"Do not worry, Saotome. I have everything under control," Mirror puffed up, bristling automatically at her presence.

Ranko looked at Mirror, and suddenly understood the reason she was still a she. "If I grew tentacles, and Shampoo thought they were cute, would you go splash yourself with water from the pool of drowned octopus?"

"If the fates deem that you and I shall forever be rivals, then so be it. However, in part, this is my penance for betraying you to Prince Herb."

"Ah. So, you admit finally that you always go too far?" Ranko challenged.

"What?" Mirror glared.

Ranko sighed and waved her off. "Never mind. Just remember, even people with perfect eyesight can still be blind, Mousse."

"Ranko! You can't call me that!" Mirror exploded, whipping her head around to see if any amazons were in earshot.

"Fine. Have a safe flight. Try not to lose anyone, okay?" Ranko backed off. Turning to her mother, she gave her a quick hug. "I'll catch up to you in a week. Hopefully that will be enough to recover and deal with Herb. If I am able, we can work on wrapping up the man-among-men thing when I come home. I'm kinda curious to know what the point of all that was, and your dad's friend seems to be the only one who can explain it. Hopefully, Pops hasn't stirred up a whole nest of problems for me to deal with first."

"Well, that proves you are optimistic, at any rate," Nodoka smiled, returning the hug.

Ranko went up to the trio of fiancées arguing with Ryouga. "Hey. It looks like you're all set. See you in a week, okay?"

"One week, Ranchan, then we're coming after you," Ukyo promised, pulling the smaller girl into an impulsive embrace and kissing her on the forehead.

"I wish you were coming with us," Akane protested, locking her hands together in front of herself nervously.

"Shampoo know Ranko beat Herb, win back honor. You come see Shampoo at Nekohanten soon as you come home, is okay?"

"Don't be late, Ranko. Don't make me come looking for you," Ryouga joked.

"Ah, yeah. Akane, do you mind keeping a leash on P-Chan until I come back?" Ranko turned to the raven-haired girl, to tease Ryouga.

"Eh heh," Akane blushed and looked away.

The others quirked eyebrows in curiosity. "What are you blushing for?" Ryouga asked uncomfortably.

Akane pulled a leash and collar out of her pocket and held it up sheepishly. "You know how I went shopping to buy P-Chan a present? That was like a week before I learned the truth about Ryouga. After that I figured I'd never be able to use it."

"Who says you're gonna get to use it now?" Ryouga fumed instantly in indignation.

Ukyo was making careful notes in a notepad she whisked out of nowhere. Anyone listening carefully would have heard her mutter, as she wrote, "Bondage… and bestiality… You're just getting stranger and stranger everyday, Ms. Tendo."

"Come on, children. It's time to go," Nodoka interrupted.

Cologne came up to Ranko's side, "I am reluctant to leave you to do this alone. You are at a severe disadvantage right now. Fighting is your greatest strength, and you are barely capable of that without the benefit of your chi. I suggest you focus more on getting back into fighting trim than trying to discourage Herb's interest. He is liable to continue pursuing you no matter what happens. Beware that Cinnamon does not inform him of your claim to being our princess. He has no need of further encouragement. Do well. There is much for us to discuss starting next week."

Ranko nodded, then stepped back as each of them glanced in the compact mirror and vanished with their belongings. Cologne was the last, gathering up Mirror's clothes as the girl turned into a duck and flashed the mirror before the old woman's eyes. The duck gave Ranko a salute with one wing, hiding the compact with a flourish of feathers, and then took off into the evening sky.

Cinnamon cleared her throat, from where she was waiting by the gate. Ranko paused to take the first good look at the manor since she destroyed a quarter of it. The reminder of what she was now capable of impressed Ranko. Repairs had already been started, so the right half of the upper floor was reframed with wall and roof timbers. The area was still dusted with the chips and shrapnel of her explosion. If she could make a quick recovery, with Cinnamon's help, she was certain she could give Herb a lot more than he was counting on. At the very least, she was going to have a rematch. At worst, she would make him understand that he was not the only one capable of making threats that could not be ignored. But first, she was going to discover as much as she could about the Musk while she was his guest, and Herb was going to provide all of that information, hoping to impress her.

"It's time," Cinnamon spoke up, trying to pull the girl away from the scene of her loss.

Ranko turned and walked over to the dragon's side. "Yes. It's about time," she acknowledged, referring to much more than the need to depart.

It was time to start making some real changes.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 01 _

Disclaimer: Ranma Nibunnoichi, and the associated cast and concepts are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and those publishers and distributors to whom she has given official rights. It is not the intention of this work to infringe upon those rights. This story may not be purchased or sold without the express permission of the writer, meaning me, the creator, meaning Rumiko Takahashi, or those agencies to whom the creator has given such rights or privileges. The ideas explored are those of the author, and should not be construed to express the opinions or intentions of the creator or associated agencies.

_Author's Note: I know this originally appeared as the epilogue of It's All in the Reflexes, but it was once the first chapter of Ranko Nibunnnoichi - Refractions. With the odd review coming in each month to remind me that there are people waiting patiently to see this story continued, I decided to set the stage for it by restoring this as the first chapter in the next volume. This is the fifth and final volume of Ranma Nibunnoichi - Reflections. Reflexes is already reset as the fourth volume, with the transfer of this chapter. I am taking suggestions for the chapter titles of Reflexes, by the way, which will appear when the revision catches up to it. _


	2. Part 02: On Closer Observation

On Closer Observation

* * *

An itinerant wind danced through the yard of the Tendo Dojo, eliciting a string of resonant notes from a hanging wind chime. Amidst that ring of ethereal music came the splash of koi frolicking in the pond. It had been a couple of weeks since the poor fish were last traumatized by the intrusion of shape-changing martial artists into their tiny domain. That was more than just cause for ichthyoidal celebration, but the simple joy of fish flinging themselves up into the air was lost on the two men brooding nearby on the porch. Their silent ruminations were interrupted by the slender grace of a young woman carrying a tray of lemonade. With soft words of gratitude from one, and a grunt of acknowledgement from the other, Kasumi served the two fathers and proceeded back inside.

Settling at the low table and serving her sister, before taking the final glass for herself, the eldest daughter joined Nabiki in studying the pair in concern. It had been several days since the Soun and Genma had returned home, and they had yet to speak of the ordeal they had suffered. As far as either girl knew, both men had returned to their former selves with no complications. Genma still turned into a panda at the touch of cold water, and Soun was every inch the manly father they knew of old. Apart from the strange ninja girl that had arrived the first night of their return, to deliver a punishing beating to the two men, there had been no disturbances around the house. Not once had there been a dramatic scene about the absence of Ranma or Akane. There had been no noise about going to China to track down their wayward children.

Just this, the pair of them staring off into space and avoiding the two girls with a tenacity verging on terror. That was partly Nabiki's fault, given the sly looks and biting comments she had greeted them with that first afternoon, but even Kasumi's innocent remarks had set the two men on edge, at one point prompting them to retreat to a local bar for a long night of drinking and foolish antics to reassert their manhood. It was beginning to drive both girls up the wall.

"I could ask them where Happosai is again," Nabiki offered helpfully, catching her sister's eye. "That would get them out of the house for a few hours."

Kasumi frowned. "Nabiki, that would hardly be helpful," she chided, turning to give the fathers another concerned look.

"Come on, Sis. This constant brooding is driving me up the wall. What could possibly have happened to the two of them while they were women to make them act like this? I mean, it's not like they were a pair of luscious young vixens. I doubt they had men chasing after them, or anything like that!"

"Seeing as they refuse to talk about it, we can only guess," Kasumi sighed.

Nabiki rolled her eyes and coughed pointedly into her hand. In truth, she had tapped a few resources to have the fathers followed and observed during their transsexual adventure. In her own opinion, the fathers' antics had been mortifyingly ridiculous, and any real woman would have died before even contemplating doing some of the things those two had done, under Happosai's guidance. But the reports she had only detailed the public exhibitions, and offered little or no insight into what other things the two men had gotten involved in. Such as, whatever had provoked Konatsu Kenzan to hunt the pair down in their natural forms. "I am sure it's safer not to guess. Best, actually, not to think about it at all. I just wish everything else was back to normal."

"Normal?" Kasumi arched a confused eyebrow at Nabiki, as if uncertain of the meaning of the word.

"What passed for normal around here, once Ranma showed up, I mean," Nabiki demurred.

Kasumi nodded. "Things certainly are quiet without Akane, Ranma and all of their friends. I do hope they come home soon."

"That would certainly liven things up," Nabiki commented distantly. In the days and nights following the exodus of manic martial artists, Nabiki had found herself pondering the puzzle that Ranma Saotome had evolved into. How could someone so seemingly simple and uncomplicated turn out to be such a perplexing knot of mystery and impossibilities? In the intervening time, while waiting for the catalyst of chaos to return, Nabiki had become engrossed in an investigation of Ranma and his—or her—family. Starting with family records, she had discovered that Genma and Nodoka's marriage had been arranged to join two branches of the Saotome family.

That was not an unheard of occurrence among the larger Japanese clans, particularly when the branches were as distantly divided as theirs had been. Genma's line had a long martial arts tradition, Nabiki had noted, but Genma apparently had not been the heir to the family school and thus set out to establish himself under an obscure, unconventional master.

No surprise who that turned out to be, but to Nabiki's amazement, it seemed to have been Happosai who prompted the engagement of Ranma's mother and father, when Genma inexplicably tried to defend his distant cousin from his master's panty predation. It was hard to imagine Genma ever having possessed a spine, but apparently there was a time when Nodoka managed to bring out something good in the lazy thief.

Speaking of thief, evidently that was also something of a tradition among Genma's line. Some deeper digging suggested that at one point Genma's ancestors had been shinobi, and had survived the loss of their overlords by becoming rogues and adventurers. Some eventually became yakuza, while others went on to become monks. Genma's forefathers, unfortunately, had been simple, opportunistic thieves. Never a terrible menace, and apparently never quite as bad as Genma himself became under Happosai's tutelage, but thieves none-the-less.

Which made Nabiki all the more suspicious about the man who ultimately ensured Nodoka's marriage to the black sheep of the clan. Kenshin Saotome, Nodoka's father, had been a paragon, a wealthy landowner, and a descendant of samurai. At least, that was what turned up on paper.

Officially, he was a man of impeccable lineage, and yet, when compared to the historical information Nabiki was able to gather, there was something distinctly suspicious about the man and all of his ancestors. There were numerous accounts of heroic deeds and timely interventions credited to the men and women Kenshin claimed as ancestors, dating back to the notable young woman who first married into the clan a thousand years ago. The thing that stood out, in every case, was the fact that all of the individuals in this lineage first appeared as teens or in their early twenties, hung around for ten or fifteen years, and then retreated into seclusion or set off on long excursions never to be heard from again—except to be mentioned as the parent of the next generation's scion of fortune and glory.

After a hundred years or so, the pattern changed so that two such individuals—a man and a woman, or two women—appeared every generation or so to represent this enigmatic branch of the family. Only rarely did one of these scions settle down and have children in a more conventional manner, but even then, once the children hit their twenties or early teens, the wandering mother or father vanished as mysteriously as she or he arrived.

As an individual given to reading fiction, and a connoisseur of film, Nabiki was more than capable of identifying Kenshin's lineage as the sort of cover that might be erected by a vampire or immortal passing agelessly through the centuries. Because of all she had seen since Ranma first appeared, she found she could not entirely dismiss such a notion. If there could be springs that transformed people, or mushrooms that could change a person's age, why not something that granted immortality, like the legend about eating a mermaid's flesh?

One person, with a curse like Ranma's and some form of immortality, could easily pose as many different people, appearing every generation, but always presenting themselves as someone the survivors of the previous generations would not recognize. Unfortunately, the wild theory was impossible to prove.

The only person who could know the truth was Kenshin himself, and he had died in an inexplicable house fire. The same kind of fire that had claimed Nodoka's mother, actually. Nabiki would have killed to get her hands on any kind of photographic or lithographic evidence to support her suspicion, but so far the only thing she had was examples of writing from Kenshin's ancestors in which Nabiki could only identify two distinct "signatures".

From everything she could put together, Kenshin was the last of the scions to appear unexpectedly as a grown man, to claim the legacy of his bloodline. Nodoka was one of those rare children born in the public eye, possessing a past Nabiki could find eyewitnesses to corroborate. Ranma, with his bizarre upbringing on the road, was possibly the only person in that bloodline to have been raised in the fashion Kenshin and the past scions all claimed to have been raised.

Which was what really made Nabiki pause to reflect.

Nodoka had named her father as the author of the man-among-men contract, or more importantly, the man who had reserved the right to pass judgment on the person Ranma would become, and Kenshin had been the person who had the final word about marrying Nodoka and Genma. Was it possible that Genma was chosen to wed Nodoka because he had been certain to take his child, male or female, on such an outlandish training journey? Was Ranma's life some weird experiment to determine if a person could be raised under the radar, having a past but leaving few tangible traces of his passing, in this modern world?

There was a moment when paranoia flourished in Nabiki's brain, as she returned to the absurd contract. Nabiki had always thought of it as typical Genma nonsense, but the reaction from Nodoka, the way the woman seemed to hold the contract as utterly binding, had always troubled her. If Kenshin was the ultimate judge of Ranma's fitness, was it possible the mysterious man had endorsed the contract, seen an opportunity only an immortal would recognize? Was it possible that the contract was just an excuse to kill Ranma, to force Ranma to kill himself, and thus allow Kenshin to take over Ranma's identity? Nabiki had returned to her research and discovered that there had been no body found in the ashes of the fire that killed Kenshin. Only the testimony of a priest, one Katsuhito Masaki, asserting that he had seen Kenshin enter the building before it caught fire, and never emerge, truly confirmed his death.

Nabiki had kept her discoveries and suspicions to herself, but as the days grew longer and Ranma and company failed to return from China, the mercenary girl grew more and more restless. She knew Nodoka would insist on taking whichever of the triplets seemed the most manly to see Masaki. As the executor of Kenshin's estate, he was certain to be the one empowered to judge Ranma in Kenshin's absence. Only, Kenshin might not be dead at all, and Masaki might instead be a conspirator in the suspected immortal's plot against Ranma.

Each day, Nabiki found herself struggling to find some way of explaining her suspicions and warning her would-be brother-in-law, and each night she went to bed certain she would not be believed until it was too late. In the darkest hour of the night, she found herself wondering if it was already too late. Kenshin, for whatever reasons, had already staged his death. He must have learned of Ranma's return to Tokyo and discovered something that prompted him to proceed with whatever plot he had designed. In fact, if Nabiki was entirely correct in her suspicions, the immortal might have learned of Ranma's curse, or more importantly, the way his curse had been accepted by the natives of Nerima. What better proof was there that Ranma was Ranma than that curse? An ability that Kenshin had hidden for generations would suddenly have become the greatest asset in assuming Ranma's identity.

Nabiki took a sip of her lemonade.

In the light of day, particularly in Kasumi's company, the whole thing seemed fabulously paranoid and ridiculous. The whole sinister plot was more the product of her suspicious nature, combined with exposure to proof of impossible things she had witnessed in the past year. Her investigation had turned up too many bizarre or inexplicable things, and Nabiki had seen too many strange things to avoid filling in the blanks with wildly improbable things when she started reading between the lines. However, there was still a great deal she did not know yet. There were still questions and answers waiting to be weighed and considered. Having a theory she did not know how to prove, she would have to work on how to disprove it.

Once Ranma returned, and Nabiki had a chance to determine if he or his siblings were truly themselves, she could decide how to proceed.

"I'm sure they'll be home any time now," Nabiki finally volunteered. "Two weeks is just about right for all of them to reach Jusenkyo, take care of things with the amazons and then return to Japan. I am sure they've just been too busy or distracted to call ahead and tell us they're on their way."

"Oh, my! I should start getting the house ready, then!" Kasumi fretted, straightening and rushing demurely out of the sitting room.

Nabiki contained a sigh. She was tempted to urge her elder sister to stop fussing and try to enjoy the peace while it lasted, but she knew Kasumi's restless domesticity was just the older girl's way of dealing with stress and anxiety. One day, Kasumi would learn to kick back and let the world take care of itself, but Nabiki could not even guess when that would be. She merely sipped her drink and studied the sky, keeping Genma and Soun visible in the corner of her eye.

After a while, she caught a faint movement from the other corner of her vision and nodded to herself. Yep. That kunoichi is still watching the house. If she's still after Daddy and Uncle Saotome, I can't imagine why she hasn't made a move on them yet. I wonder… Could she be waiting for Happosai? Nabiki turned her head to look directly at the pretty, female ninja.

Konatsu was ignoring the two men, watching the house itself with frustrated patience. She met Nabiki's gaze, blinked and then faded into the background.

"Interesting," Nabiki commented to herself.

* * *

At that same moment, in the crystal chamber within the magic trap mirror, Akane sat brooding in silence. It had been very difficult to leave Ranko behind in Herb's care. At the same time, it was something of a relief. The secret she had been keeping to herself had been gnawing a hole in her gut, and she doubted she would have been able to keep her silence if she had been given too much time alone with Ranko. Once again, she found herself wondering if she could have changed things, prevented things from turning out the way they had, if she had dared to warn Ranko about what she had discovered. Once again, she bit her lip and tried to force the thought out of her mind. She could not risk revealing what she had done. She could never explain or justify her petty little act of revenge, nor could she blame her own curiosity. She had gotten what she had wanted, and she had been punished for it at the same time. Maybe, one day, if she were truly fortunate, she would be called upon to explain why she, like Ranko, Ryouga and Shampoo, was no longer a virgin, and Akane would finally be able to confess.

What she had done had been, well, perverted, but she had been able to forgive herself. It was the consequences of keeping her silence that she did not know how to forgive herself for. It was the fact that her silence had contributed to the loss—she tried not to think of is as the death—of Ranma and Fa Shen. Maybe it was best that there was only one person who could claim to be Ranko, Ranma or Fa Shen, just as she was now the only person who could claim to be Akane.

There was at least one benefit to her failure. The mortification she felt, whenever she thought of it, was strong enough to undo the transformation that now came with her expressions of defiance. Of course, she might never become a chi-adept, now that her ki was a minefield of potential transformations. It was ironic. She had never considered herself capable of the kind of ki manipulation that Ranma had mastered, but in the space of a few days she had branded herself with two chi triggered cursed. One turned her into a man, and the other would split that man off into a separate incarnation. Two things she had in common with Ranko, now. If the Kami favored her, she would be the ideal mate for Ranko. Not that she had any idea what the triggers to her second curse were.

Akane snorted in aggrieved amusement.

It was strange. She was cursed. The insanity of Ranma's life, the freakish perversion that had scared her so much it had driven a wedge between her and Ranma, had finally taken root in her. It was ironic that one of the first insults she had flung at him had been prophetic, but it was even more ironic that now she too was a couple by herself. It was pure karmic justice that her curse… her curses were even worse than Ranma's had been. A water-based curse would be a blessing, Akane felt. To have a curse that was sensitive to her emotional state was onerous and cruel. Controlling the weather seemed infinitely easier than controlling her temper.

In theory, it was possible for her to master her curse, the way Ranma, Fa Shen and Ryouga had, but in her case it would require her to acquire self-discipline, and only now was she capable of recognizing that she was severely lacking in that department. What self-discipline she had, she owed to bearing the brunt of Ranma's insults. True, she usually blew up, but there had been enough times when she had been forced to contain herself for a while before blowing up that she had at least developed a limited degree of self-restraint. Not enough to prevent her from malleting Ranko only a few hours ago, but more than she would have had otherwise.

"What are you so moody about, Sugar?" Ukyo interrupted, settling down beside Akane and giving her a curious look.

"I'm sorry, what was that, Ukyo?" Akane blinked and looked up at her rival.

"I asked what's wrong, Akane. You sure are moody. I know it's not easy to leave Ranko behind like that, but you seem to be more upset than the rest of us," Ukyo noted pointedly.

Akane shrugged and sighed. "I just… have a lot to think about. Ranko wasn't the only one going through changes this past week," Akane reminded Ukyo, without confiding anything sensitive.

Ukyo looked at her unmoving for a moment, and then nodded, "I suppose that's true, Sugar."

Akane studied the other girl for a few seconds, and then nodded. "I noticed that you brought your cask of Nanniichuan along with you," Akane said, prodding the other girl to share her own secrets.

Ukyo looked down at the wooden cask tucked under her left arm. Shrugging, she looked up. "Dragging it out was the only to convince Ran-chan that I haven't used it already."

"Are you still planning to?" Akane asked.

"You mean, become a guy? Would you blame me if I did? It's almost compulsory at this point, what with you and Ryouga turning ambisexual on us," Ukyo tried to lighten the near-accusation with a disarming laugh.

"Well, just don't let Genma find out you've got it," Akane warned, smiling.

Ukyo smiled an evil smile. "Are you kidding? I can't wait to tell him I've got it. Right after I tell him that, I'll tell him that he will never get his filthy panda-paws on it."

"Ukyo! The man's the best thief in Nerima, second to Happosai!" Akane cried out.

"Oh, better, I'd say. Happosai's thieving is a little narrow minded, if you ask me," Ukyo corrected, waving Akane's warning off with her free hand.

"I can't argue with that, but…" Akane trailed off.

Ukyo met her eye and nodded. "The sneaky ol' panda won't rest until he's found where I've hidden it and poured it all over himself," she predicted with unholy glee.

Akane stared at Ukyo in disbelief. Her look gradually turned to suspicion. "Ukyo. That is nanniichuan water in that cask, right?"

Ukyo gave her an innocent look.

"Ukyo!" Akane growled irritably, grabbing her water flask and twisting the cap.

"Don't, Akane!" Ukyo warned, shying back.

"You didn't!" Akane stopped opening the lid and gaped at Ukyo.

"How could anyone tell?" Ryouga asked, appearing behind Ukyo and pouring water over her head. While Ukyo gasped in shock at the cold dousing, Ryouga boldly reached around and jerked Ukyo's shirt open. The usual bindings were revealed, and Akane could tell by the general shape that a normal pair of breasts was bound firmly in their grip.

"You jackass!" Ukyo snarled, jerking around and belting Ryouga. "Can't you at least turn into a girl before trying to molest me!" Ukyo carefully set down her cask of Jusenkyo water and started squeezing the excess moisture out of her shirt, while Akane fished a towel out of her knapsack.

"That was uncalled for," Akane declared, handing Ukyo the towel.

"You were about to do the same thing!" Ukyo accused, drying her hair and face.

"But, you avoided my question. That is the water you got out of the Nanniichuan, isn't it?" Akane persisted, leaning in to look at the cask. It certainly looked like the cask she had gotten from the Jusenkyo Guide.

"No. It's not. It's Nyanniichuan water," Ukyo finally confessed. She finished drying her head and draped the towel over her shoulder. Bending down to pick up the cask, she continued, "Before you ask, I'm not telling you what happened to the nanniichuan. A girl's gotta have some secrets."

Akane blanched at the other girl's smile and wink.

"What?" Ukyo sobered, regaining her concerned look.

"Jusenkyo secrets have terrible prices, Ukyo," was all Akane would say.

Ukyo studied Akane carefully and then squatted down in front of her. "What did you do, Akane?" she asked in a stern voice.

"You first," Akane proposed, meeting Ukyo's gaze uncompromisingly.

Ukyo glanced over her shoulder at the pile of clothes that belonged to Mirror—formerly Mousse—and then knelt closer to Akane. In a quiet tone, with a look of warning, she said, "I know someone who needed that water more than me."

Akane leaned to the side and looked past Ukyo, to see what she had glanced at, and then met Ukyo's eyes, "You mean, Mousse? Aren't you worried that he'll just give it to Shampoo, so she can be a better match for Ranko?"

Ukyo shrugged. "I doubt he… she'd do anything to improve Shampoo's chances of winning Ran-chan. All I do know is that Mousse doesn't plan to use it in any hurry. I think it's just insurance, in case she can't master the duck curse. In any case, no one is going to be able to steal that cask from her. Who knows where all the stuff she has crammed into those robes really is?"

"So, you're still all girl, then?" Akane asked, sounding faintly envious.

"Sure. Besides, there are other ways to get cursed now that don't involve the whims of water," Ukyo responded with a rationalized air. Akane gawked at her, and Ukyo nodded. "I have some things stashed away. I'm not going to play around with a chi curse until I can dictate what the trigger would be. Who knows, by the time I am good enough, I won't need to worry about it anymore."

"I see," Akane muttered, looking down. She finally understood why Ranko and been so opposed to the idea of anyone getting cursed to win her. It just was not possible to warn people. They didn't believe it was anything to worry about until it was too late and there was no going back. At least Ukyo's ambitions had some built in delays. Shaking her head, she looked back up, "So, you'd let Genma curse himself to turn into a woman?" she asked doubtfully.

"Why not. For all the grief he gave Ran-chan, it would only be justice," Ukyo declared.

"Really, Ukyo. What's with the girl water?" Akane insisted.

Ukyo sighed. She stared off for a while, thinking. She had tried to get away with giving Akane the answers she expected, but her rival seemed to sense that Ukyo was not telling her something. She had almost betrayed herself already. Wondering if it would be worth it to trade her secret to find out what Akane was so upset about, she returned her attention to the Tendo girl and challenged, "Whatever it is you're hiding, it had better be really good!"

"It's mortifying!" Akane assured her, blushing to her roots.

"Fine," Ukyo accepted, with a sharp nod. Lifting the cask up to her knee, she presented it to Akane with a hand flourish. "This is what was left over from what Mousse gave me."

"What?" Akane asked, in confusion.

Ukyo sighed and turned around. Digging through the bags and boxes they had brought along as luggage, she found and pulled out a large water cask. "Can you believe Mousse has been lugging this thing around since he came back to Japan with the circus?" she asked Akane. When Akane continued to look at her in confusion, Ukyo growled in her throat and leaned in close to Akane. "Herb did not unlock my instant curse, Akane!" she revealed.

"What?" Akane almost shouted.

"I'm the one who locked Herb's curse, remember?" Ukyo waited for Akane to nod. "Right, so, when we all went in to use the kettle, Lime and Mint grabbed me and held me down while Herb talked to me. He said that he had promised not to kill any of Ran-chan's friends, but for what I had done to him, there was no forgiveness. Then he tapped several spots on my body and my ki suddenly flared up out of control. I swear, Akane, if felt like I was strapped to a lightening bolt! After a few minutes of that, he splashed me with the kaisuifuu water and… and nothing happened!" Ukyo declared.

"How can that be?" Akane asked, searching her mind to recall what Cologne had warned her about when she had been locked in an instant curse. Before Ukyo had to spell it out, she remembered, "He burned it off! He did something to make you burn off your true form!" Akane gasped.

Ukyo nodded. "Of course, no one noticed anything, because I still looked the same when I came out. Except Mousse. Mirror. Whatever. She came over and asked what Herb did to me. I made her promise not to tell anyone, and then showed her I was still a guy and explained what Herb did. She asked me if Herb splashed me again with the chisuiiton, and when I told her no, she asked me if I would trade my cask of nanniichuan for a cask of nyanniichuan. Akane, I would have traded my whole restaurant for that cask. To keep anyone from realizing what was up, he had me pour the water out into a different container and then he gave me that big barrel over there."

"So, you turn into a girl with cold water. That's pretty convenient, I guess," Akane noted.

"Akane, I wasn't lying when I said I'm all girl. Well, that's not exactly true, but I don't turn into a guy," Ukyo corrected. In response to the look Akane gave her, Ukyo explained. "You have to give me more credit for being sneaky and resourceful. When we were all locked by Herb in the river, I filled up a bottle with chisuiiton water to use on Herb, Remember?" Ukyo paused until Akane nodded, and she grinned, "Well, after I used the nyanniichuan, I went back to that pool in the stream and took a dip. It turns out that the magic settled in that pool, so now it's a chisuiiton pool."

"Why?" Akane asked in confusion. "I mean, you wanted to be able to turn into a guy. You're the only one who can change back and forth without anyone noticing. You even told Ranko you were gonna do it regardless of who she chose, and Herb gave you the perfect excuse. Why would you lock yourself into girl form?"

"Akane, what do you think Ranko would do if I told her about what Herb did?" Ukyo asked quietly. She studied the other girl's face, watching her think things through as she had earlier. When she saw understanding light up Akane's face, she nodded. "That's right, Sugar. Ranko would have tried to kill Herb. Again." Ukyo took a deep breath and let it out before continuing, "Now, on any other day I'd just cheer Ran-chan on, but both of them were stripped of their ki abilities, and you have no idea how much of what Ran-chan does uses ki. So, it would come down to basic fighting abilities, and Herb didn't make any bones about how he was trained as a warrior, not a martial artist. Herb will never be as good at fighting as Ran-chan—he always relied on superior firepower, brute strength over skill—but he's a killer, Akane. He proved that by what he did to Ranko."

"I didn't think of that," Akane admitted weakly.

Ukyo nodded in agreement. Then, after a moment, she cocked her head and asked, point blank, "So, Akane. What's this mortifying secret that's got you so down?"

Akane was slow to respond. Her thoughts had drifted back to the horrifying sight of Herb's torturous transformation. It was hardly surprising that he had taken vengeance on Ukyo, but somehow none of them had anticipated it. What, she wondered, would Herb do when he caught up to the rest of them? The whole group had helped Ukyo administer her poetic justice. True, none of them imagined the sheer agony her action would cause, but she and Ryouga had held the dragon prince helpless, and Mirror had stood there promising even worse. Then again, Mirror had realized that Herb had done something to Ukyo.

"Akane?" Ukyo cut into her thoughts.

"What? Oh, sorry, Ukyo," Akane blushed. Squirming, she allowed her thoughts to return to her original concern. For a moment, she tried to decide how to begin, then she took a deep breath. "You remember that Ranko became split up by dousing herself with the water Po Shen mixed to split me in two, right?" Akane asked. When Ukyo nodded, Akane continued, "Well, you also know how Ranko got fused back together."

"Yeah. I still can't get that image out of my mind," Ukyo blushed, remembering the shock, embarrassment and fascination she had felt as she stood there watching Ranko having sex with her male other half.

Akane blanched and looked down. Fumbling nervously with the water bottle in her hands, she forged ahead, "Yeah, well. The reason I've been so… depressed… so guilty… so… I don't know… the thing that has been eating at me is, I feel like I should have warned them that that could happen."

Ukyo stared at Akane and shook her head, "Hey, come on, Akane. The whole lot of us have been beating ourselves up for figuring everything out one step too late. How could you have known that sex could turn a locked, instant curse into a chi curse?"

Akane took another deep breath, let it out in a rush and looked up. In a dead, serious tone, she announced, "Because it happened to me first."

Ukyo fell over on her side. Lurching upright, she stared at Akane in shock, and gasped, "You have got to be kidding me!"

Akane shrank into herself, unable to continue looking directly at Ukyo.

"Akane…" Ukyo tried to draw her attention. "Akane? Are you serious? You had… with your guy half… and you…?" Ukyo did not know how to put her question into words.

"I'm not a virgin anymore, Ukyo," Akane cut straight to the point without looking up.

"I don't believe it," Ukyo declared softly. She shook her head, still staring at Akane in disbelief. "After all the grief you've given Ran-chan over what the three of them were doing? I just can't believe you would ever, ever, do something like that."

Akane frowned and looked up angrily. "And why not! Ranma slept with Ryouga! Fa Shen slept with Shampoo! The two of them were going at it with each other again and again. Who even knows how many times they had sex with each other?" Akane pointed out furiously. Swallowing hard, and straining to reign in her temper before it became to righteous, she went on in strained tones. "Do you remember what Ranma was like when he thought I'd slept with Ryouga?"

Ukyo just stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time.

"I couldn't take it, Ukyo. Everyone was rushing headlong into bed with each other. I don't think I've ever done more than fantasize about sex before three weeks ago, and I know the very idea scared me silly! But all of a sudden Ranma, Ranko… everyone was leaving me behind, experienced in a world I could only dream about. What did I have to save myself for?" Akane asked in pained earnest voice. She shook her head and crossed her arms. "That old woman, even Cologne, warned me, warned Ranko, not to be tempted, but how could I resist? What guy could I possibly trust enough to do something like that with? If not a guy who was really me inside, then who?"

"But, Akane…" Ukyo gulped.

"What, Ukyo? After everything I've done on this stupid trip, what?" Akane's eyes flashed dangerously. She shuddered for a moment, but the change overtook her. In deeper tones, he laughed, "Oh, Ukyo. I was so stupid. I put myself through everything Ranko went through leading up to this. There I was, stuck in this male body, and the only thing I was thinking was, maybe it's better to stay like this. Let at least part of me go on to have a normal life. Having sex, like that, was pretty much just masturbation. Isn't that what Ranma and Fa Shen claimed?"

"You don't have to tell me all of this, Akane… I… I had no idea," Ukyo shied.

"No. No, Ukyo. I HAVE to tell SOMEONE. It's been eating me alive!" Akane protested, almost begged. The solemn, vulnerable, hurting look on his face captured Ukyo's attention. Held it. "I knew that doing it might leave me permanently split in two, and maybe that's what I wanted, but at least by going through with it I'd prove I was man enough to survive being split off from myself. I'm not even sure if I enjoyed it, but it was so powerful. The things I felt are indescribable. It's like a door opened inside me, and nothing can ever shut it. I didn't even notice becoming fused back together. By that point, by the time I recovered from that insanity, I could not undo what I had done, so I tried to forget it. I told everyone I had taken a hot salt-water bath, and made up some excuses…" Akane fell silent.

"Akane. I… I've been a guy. Hell, I've lived as a guy for so long… I'm not going to judge you. I am shocked, yes. I mean, it seems so unlike you. But, with everything that's happened, none of us have been our normal selves," Ukyo acknowledged, trying her hardest to sound supportive.

"No, Ukyo. The sex, that doesn't really matter," Akane cut her off. "I think I did what any one might have done in that situation. I mean, really, to be like that, one person, two bodies, all you could possibly want to know in your power to grasp. I'd dare anyone to resist it. I pity anyone with the opportunity to try. What I did… it helped me understand them, Ukyo. But, I lied, Ukyo. I pretended nothing had happened, and let Ranko fall into that trap too. I let Ranma and Fa Shen die!"

Ukyo could not speak. The amount of guilt and despair in Akane's voice was humbling. But, Ukyo could not let Akane's self accusation go unanswered. "Okay, yeah. On second thought, that was pretty stupid and selfish," she agreed, watching Akane flinch and suddenly turn female again. Blinking and trying not to be distracted, she went on, "At the same time, it's perfectly understandable. I don't know if I'd do the same thing if I was split into boy and girl types, but I'm not stupid enough to say I really know what I'd be thinking or feeling in such a situation. It's so unreal. There's nothing that can prepare you for such a thing! But, let's get a few things straight. First, having sex with your self seems to be a rather private thing. I don't remember Ranma and Fa Shen shouting it out to the world, even when it was shaking their whole world off it's axis. Second, how could you really warn anyone about what could happen without revealing how you learned about it? Third, and most importantly, Ranma and Fa Shen are NOT dead!"

"Ukyo! They're gone!" Akane protested, beginning to tear up.

"No. Come on, Akane. They were never supposed to be THERE in the first place. Ranma and Fa Shen, they're just different sides of Ranko, different because they had to live with the prospect of not being able to live as the same person," Ukyo asserted. "I don't hear you crying about that guy named Akane you 'killed off' by having sex with him!"

Akane froze in surprise.

"See?" Ukyo implored.

"But… that's different… I mean, I wasn't… I didn't…" Akane fumbled for words.

"What? You didn't happen to have some former incarnation of yourself move into your spare body? You didn't have a different name or history to attach to your other half?" Ukyo critiqued. She shook her head, "Sorry, Akane. You can feel sorry for yourself, but I don't think it's necessary. Having different names and spare bodies only made it harder for Ran-chan to cope with one simple fact. Before he was Ranma, she was Fa Shen, and when the walls came down, only Ranko was able to make a whole person out of all of that. Having to deal with Ranma and Fa Shen on either side at the same time just made it harder for her."

"But…" Akane tried one last time.

"No. It makes things harder for us, since we can't just divvy her up to solve our own problems, but, no. Becoming whole was the only way for Ranma and Fa Shen to survive. I mean, did you see what Ranko WAS when she became whole? Sweet goddess of mercy, Akane! We had no idea! This whole thing has been insane, and it has hurt all of us, and given us the scars to prove it, but I think, in the end, it will all be worth it. It will be the right thing. I just hope I can keep up," Ukyo confessed, the light of awe and amazement underscoring her words.

Akane fell silent for a while. She found herself looking at Ukyo in faint amazement.

After a bit, Ukyo cleared her throat and stated, off-handedly, "One last thing, Sugar. The next time you decide to confide in me, you might wanna try to keep your voice down. That, or try not to pour your heart out in what is essentially a very small room."

Akane furrowed her brow and frowned at Ukyo. Then, she twisted her head around and noticed the other people in the crystal chamber sitting behind her with their backs to her trying very hard to project an air of total oblivion. A harder look, catching a glimpse of their faces reflected in the crystal walls, showed Nodoka carefully staring at the pages of a book with wide eyes, a rosy red face, and a metal ball-point pen bent wildly askew in her teeth as the ink ran down her chin. Cologne, next to Nodoka, had her hands clamped over her mouth suppressing what appeared to be the most violent coughing fit ever. Ryouga sat across from Shampoo, noticeably paler then the amazon girl, pretty much because all the blood he could spare had gushed out of his nose. Shampoo just… twitched, staring forward past Ryouga, seeing nothing, with a wide, manic grin plastered across her faces.

Akane turned around and met Ukyo's sympathetic gaze.

"I… I… you… Ranko! Never! Ever! Can't… breathe… need…" The alternative to Akane falling over in a shock induced coma would probably have been a shishihokodan to shame Ryouga on the worst day of his life.

The crystal chamber hummed with a collective sigh of relief.

* * *

It was evening by the time Ranko and Cinnamon returned to the fortified palace of the Musk. Ranko had spent the long walk enjoying the sunset and talking with the dragon, getting to know her better. It had occurred to her about halfway up the mountain that no one had thought of stopping by the Guide's hut at Jusenkyo and calling the Tendo home to let people know that her mother and the others were on their way back to Japan. Cinnamon had stopped Ranko from turning around to make the call herself by asking her how she intended to respond to the questions she would be asked. Ranko slapped herself for forgetting that Nabiki would demand to know how things went and why Ranko was not returning with them, or what happened to Ranma and Fa Shen. Given her present plans, to catch up to everyone at the end of the week, by catching a ride to Tokyo from Cinnamon, Ranko would arrive at least a day after the others, leaving it to them to answer the uncomfortable questions and make the humiliating explanations.

It was going to be hard enough delivering the Council of Elders' rulings to Herb and Spice.

Ranko groaned and looked up at the cold, stone walls of the fortress. "I don't suppose you'd care to give Spice the bad news, would'ya, Cinnamon?" Ranko asked her older look-alike.

Cinnamon smirked and glanced over her shoulder at Ranko. "I suppose that falls within my purview as your advocate, Ranko. I believe you can deliver the news to Herb, however. The Council's rulings essentially confirmed what she expected."

Ranko nodded.

Cinnamon cleared her throat and reached out to stop Ranko. When the smaller red-head paused and turned to meet her gaze, Cinnamon reminded her, "Herb has had a few more days to work on the training regimen I told you about. Physically, the two of you are in perfect condition, but spiritually, you've been badly burned. The best way I know of to accelerate your recovery is to get your ki flowing through all of its normal channels, feeding them and strengthening them without burning anything more away. I know the regimen is rather basic for your skill level, but it is important that you start with the basics and try to work back up to your normal level."

"Don't worry, Cinnamon. I remember what you told me. This isn't a competition. I won't try to catch up with Herb overnight," Ranko assured the dragon.

Cinnamon nodded. "The two of you are both extremely competitive, and given the outcome of your battle, I am sure you both feel the need to prove yourselves. Just remember, if you push too hard now, you might never be able to fully recover. Ki grows and heals in the same fashion, through use. I am sure you experienced the discomfort of building up your ki before, but that will be nothing compared to the pain you must endure to rebuild it."

"It's pretty painful just to touch it right now," Ranko confessed with a wince.

"Yes. I am sure you are very sensitive right now," Cinnamon acknowledged. She slipped behind Ranko and placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, rubbing them firmly and reassuringly. "The pain is a good thing, Ranko, because it means that the flow of ki is strong enough to clear and reinforce the channels. The thing you have to watch for is sudden spikes, surges and seizures. They are the warning signs. If they hit, they will not strike you as being unbearably painful, but what will be happening to you is not unlike having muscles and bones torn free of your body. You will feel something sharp and intense, you might become disoriented or nauseous or feel a heady rush, or even go numb, because the true pain will be so unimaginably intense you cannot grasp it. In a life or death situation, that numbness that protects you and allows you to take desperate action, however, if you continue to exert yourself past this point, you will actually be forcing those pathways to consume themselves, and you will never be able to fully restore them."

"Um, there's something I should probably mention," Ranko began hesitantly.

"Go on," Cinnamon murmured in Ranko's ear.

Ranko felt a faint shiver run through her as the woman's breath tickled her ear. Clearing her throat, she said, "My ki, ever since I merged into one, has a, um… sort of… well, sexy feel, if you know what I mean." Ranko blushed, growing more aware of Cinnamon's body pressing into her back.

"Oh. Yes. I think I know what you mean. You've tapped into a core of creative energy, and that lends itself to regeneration and rejuvenation, but it also has an erotic and sexual quality," Cinnamon noted, slipping her arms around Ranko, hugging the girl to her front. Her hands stroked gently over key energy centers of her body, and she nodded, "Yes, I can feel it. The flow is very weak and slow, due to your condition. This type of energy has a way of masking the pain, transforming it, but if you keep track of the intensity, and back off when the sensation becomes too intense to think clearly, you should avoid damaging your self. Intensity is the real key, whether it is pain or pleasure."

"Um, ah, thanks," Ranko muttered, slipping free of Cinnamon's embrace. However diagnostic the contact might be, Ranko had not forgotten that the dragon had ulterior motives where she was concerned. With an innocent smile, she turned to face her mentor and advocate. "I suppose we should get in. I'm starving!"

Cinnamon returned a playful grin. "Me too," she purred.

Ranko tried not to swallow too hard, and gradually drifted a little further ahead down the path. Cinnamon clasped her hands behind her back and shifted into her full stride, prompting Ranko to glide backwards rapidly a few paces and turn on her heel to walk just ahead of the dragon. In spite of her longer stride, Cinnamon elected to trail in Ranko's wake, admiring her from behind.

"Do you hav'ta do that?" Ranko asked nervously.

"You're a beautiful young woman, Ranko. You can't fault me for appreciating that," Cinnamon protested lightly.

"Well, you're not so bad looking yourself," Ranko pointed out laconically.

"Which is to say, yes, I am quite familiar with your body. Obviously. I just haven't seen it from this perspective all that often. I find that… fascinating," Cinnamon persisted, allowing her amusement to ring in her voice. At the same time, she was remembering a time when she had watched the original version of Ranko from this perspective. She had nursed a hunger then too, studying Fa Shen's delicious body, anticipating the moment she—or at the time, he—indulged that hunger.

Ranko felt a cold thrill race up her spine and shuddered. Stopping and turning abruptly, she stared up into Cinnamon's startled face. She studied Cinnamon carefully a moment, trying to look past the resemblance. "I don't want us to be enemies, Cinnamon," Ranko declared softly. She crossed her arms loosely, holding herself more than standing up to the dragon, and deliberated aloud, "I mean, you're my advocate and, well, sort of my sensei at the moment. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I have to take that chance."

"What is bothering you, Ranko?" Cinnamon prompted her gently.

"What do you want from me?" Ranko inquired tentatively.

"I think you know what I want, Ranko," Cinnamon purred huskily.

"No. I don't think so. You're not human, Cin. The part of me that is Fa Shen won't let me forget what you really are. So, no. For all I know, you want to eat me alive as much as you want to mate with me, and as for mating with me, I'm not so sure I know what that really means," Ranko argued.

"I may be a dragon, Ranko, but I do have a long history of living among humans. Mostly as a woman. I am sympathetic to you on that count. I was a Musk Bride once," Cinnamon reminded her, while she wondered what the abbreviation of her name indicated.

"Well, let's start with that, then. I know what Herb wants. He wants me to be his consort, or maybe his concubine. I don't recall anything about the Musk regarding women as people, so I can't really say 'wife'. Herb wants me to be his mate," Ranko boiled it down. She tightened her grip on herself. "The problem is, whether he fights it or not, he admitted to being raised to think of women as animals, and that's what I expect to be viewed as if I were married to him. A clever animal useful for bearing strong sons."

"I can't argue with you there," Cinnamon assured her, with a wry smile.

"Um… not that… I mean, I don't mean to say you're a dumb animal…" Ranko babbled as she realized what she had unwittingly implied.

Cinnamon waved her to silence. "Please. I am proud to be an animal. The last time I checked, humans were also animals. It seems to me that most of humans' problems stem from the fact that humans are too immature to accept that simple fact. They try to deny what they are, what is in their nature, and pervert themselves."

"Er. I guess. But, what I'm tryin' to say is, what do you expect from me?" Ranko resumed.

"The only thing I expect of you is for you to be you. It would serve you better to ask what it is that I desire from you, but since I have desired you for fifteen hundred years, and still do not understand what it is that makes me desire you, the answer would still prove unsatisfactory," Cinnamon admitted.

Ranko shifted her weight to one foot and toed the ground with the other nervously. "Do you want me to be your mate? Or, do you just want to mate with me?" Ranko tried to narrow things down in the terms she thought would make the most sense to the dragon.

"Yes," Cinnamon said simply.

Ranko considered that. "So, what does that mean to a dragon?"

Cinnamon drew herself up regally, "It means, I would join with you and twine with you and nest with you. I would walk with you and hunt with you and fly with you. I would breed with you and feed with you and that I need to be with you. I would live with you and for you. Words really don't convey what I mean. You are the thing that something within me tells me I cannot live without."

Ranko blinked in surprise. It was simple and straightforward, and she found herself appreciating it. Still, she had her suspicions. "So, I am just something you want to possess. A thing to make your life full and complete. A mother for your children, a bride for your bed," Ranko translated.

Cinnamon scowled and shook her head, "Why do you assume that wanting you is indistinguishable from wanting to use you? Yes, there is something about you that is more tantalizing than food or sex, and the urge to eat you is nearly as strong as the urge to couple with you. This 'something' is enough to keep me fascinated for hundreds of years, and maybe what makes you special is this fascination. I see you not as something I deem worthy to have, Ranko. You are something I deem worthy to give myself to."

Ranko let her arms fall to the side. "I can't have heard that right."

"I am fairly certain I was speaking your language," Cinnamon drawled.

Ranko shook herself and reiterated, "No, I mean. What you are saying is, you just want to be with me?" It was rather perplexing. To Ranko, what it really sounded like was that Cinnamon just wanted to be friends. At least, if Ranko had put her feelings into words like that, it pretty much described her desperate longing for plain and simple companionship. People who were nice to her and liked and respected her, and whom she could trust.

Cinnamon nodded. "I crave your indulgence."

"And you don't expect anything else?" Ranko found it hard to believe.

"Everything you give me is a treasure, and, I would hope, something you would treasure too. If you share yourself with me, give me pleasure, I would hope you found pleasure too. If you bore me young, or sired them upon me, I would hope you would cherish your young as much as I." Cinnamon shrugged, not sure how else to explain herself.

Ranko frowned and considered. That certainly sounded like more than just friendship, but for an intimate relationship it promised a lot more equality and understanding. She brought one hand up, rubbing her lower lip thoughtfully. Mutual respect and admiration, appreciation and desire, it pretty much described what Ranko—or Ranma, at the time—had found after coming to an understanding with Ryouga. It was what had provoked her into sleeping with her former rival. Ranko gulped, as her quick reflection on where things had gone from there reminded her of the risks of indulging her own longings. She gave the dragon a sidelong look and confessed, "I think I like your way of thinking, but you know I have others to think about. That I can not 'indulge' anyone for fear of insulting or injuring somebody else."

Cinnamon nodded, curtly. "I know this."

Ranko shook her head, "I thought dragons were supposed to be possessive."

Cinnamon smiled a wicked grin. "We are. But, we also know the difference between people and possessions." The dragon started walking, taking Ranko by the elbow and gently urging her forward again. As they approached the main gates of the palace, she cautiously interrogated, "I do not know if you have considered it yet, but while you are worrying about people's feelings, are you keeping in mind the consequences of choosing any of them?"

"All the time!" Ranko declared anxiously.

"Oh, I do not just mean how others would react if you singled one person out and chose to be with them. There are many other things you need to consider. Is it wise to become too strongly attached to any of these humans?" Cinnamon inquired.

"What do you mean?" Ranko glanced to the side and studied the dragon's profile.

Still looking ahead and holding on to Ranko's arm, Cinnamon pointed out, "Well, for one thing, would it be fair to them? I know they are all strong martial artists, and that with the proper training they can expect to live for two, maybe three hundred years; but look at Cologne. What would it do to you and your beloved if you still looked like you do now and he or she was a shrunken, wrinkled little thing like Cologne?"

Or Happosai, Ranko automatically compared. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am talking about. You are a phoenix, Ranko. You might continue to age for another year or two, but once you have fully matured you will stop aging for, well, in your case, several thousand years, possibly. I cannot imagine how the discipline of martial arts would enhance the normal longevity of a phoenix," Cinnamon confessed profoundly. "And, that is not even taking into account the cycle of rebirth. You have many long lives ahead of you, little one."

Ranko walked along wide-eyes in shock for a moment, passing through the heavy portcullis and on into the main courtyard of the fortress in distracted silence. Cinnamon held her tongue while Ranko dealt with the shock. Ranko could not believe she had not thought about what it really meant to be a phoenix born in human form. The history of Pa Shen and Fa Shen, as reconstructed by Cinnamon, Spice and Cologne, should have made her aware of how long she could expect to live, but she had not once considered how that would affect her engagement problems. Even if she took whoever she ended up married to and put them through everything she had endured, they were merely human. Even if Ranko's wife or husband were cursed to change sexes, got split by the Mirror of Broken Souls, formed a circuit to tap into their soul, and merged back together with all that power at his or her disposal, they would still only be human. Powerful, and long lived, Ranko would give them a thousand years of life, easy, but once again, at the end of the millennium, they would be like Cologne or Happosai.

Ranko tightened her fists. "No. You're right, I didn't think of that, but there are other ways to deal with that. I could find out where the aging mushrooms grow and grow them for my… mate…" she tripped and spit out the first word that accounted for the possibility of marrying a man or a woman, then forged on, "I can tell you, they would make it easy for someone to be whatever age they wanted to be for however long they wanted. I bet if you tested them on Cologne or Happosai, the mushrooms would turn them back into teenagers."

"Ranko, whatever these mushrooms do, they are magic and by now you should know that magic demands a price. Can you see Cologne choosing to remain the way she is, when she knew she could regain her youth and vitality by simply eating some magic mushrooms—unless she feared the price?" Cinnamon countered solemnly. She let her hand fall from where it had rested on Ranko's arm and continued to walk beside her as they crossed the courtyard and headed for the entrance to the imperial residential wing.

"I don't know what that old mum…" Ranko cut herself off. Her opinion of the amazon matriarch had both improved and worsened over the past weeks, and Cologne had harmed her as much as she had helped her, but given where she was it might not be a good idea to show her too much disrespect. Starting over, Ranko confided, "I don't know, Cinnamon. I don't think she or Happi even know about the magic aging mushrooms. Maybe they just haven't found them."

"Maybe that's the price. Maybe that's the curse. You come across them once, and use them, but when you try to find them again, you can not. Instead of enjoying your restored youth, you waste it searching every corner of the world for more magic mushrooms, and grow old and bitter and eventually die," Cinnamon hypothesized grimly.

"Okay, fine! Maybe that's not the best idea, but… damn it, I wouldn't stop trying!" Ranko cried. The guards at the entrance to the residence bowed and opened the doors for Ranko and Cinnamon, who nodded distractedly in response and continued on into the main hall.

"That is the problem, young one," Cinnamon cautioned in lower tones, once they were out of earshot of the guards. "I know this is not comforting, but I only mean to spare you an eternity of grief. You are an immortal. It is time for you to stop and ask yourself if any of these friends of yours is worthy to be your mate. I can tell you, I often think I long for you so strongly because you are one of the few beings who might live forever, who could stay with me forever, until the end of time. I do not know if two people can be together for so long, but I do know that you will long for someone who will still be there by your side thousands of years from now."

"So, basically, you're the only one I can choose? Is that what you are trying to tell me?" Ranko demanded, scowling at the way Cinnamon had undermined her.

"Do you really think I am the only immortal besides yourself?" Cinnamon retorted tartly. Ranko said nothing, and Cinnamon shook her head. She nudged Ranko to the right, guiding her up the right wing of the grand staircase. As they climbed and turned down the passage leading to the quarters Herb was sharing with Ranko, Cinnamon asserted, "Believe me, there are hundreds, thousands, of dragons who will compete with me to be your soul mate. I do not even know how many phoenixes would be drawn to you, and I do not doubt that there will be a few who would take human form to be with you. You will also have half bloods like Herb and Saffron, who will vie for your affections. And then, you will have to be wary of gods. Above all, they are the most promiscuous and dangerous of suitors."

"Gods?" Ranko gasped in disbelief. "You mean real, live, honest to Kami, kami?"

"And demons, too, I suppose," Cinnamon shrugged.

"Demons!" Ranko cried shrilly in alarm.

Cinnamon nodded.

"I can't believe it," Ranko breathed.

"Well, I suggest you start working on that, because you will eventually find yourself confronted by one or the other. But, for now, why don't you go in and report to Herb. I will leave you here while I go to speak to Emperor Spice. When I return, after we have eaten, I will get you and Herb started on your evening exercises," Cinnamon instructed, opening the door to Herb's suite and ushering Ranko inside.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 02 _

_Author's Note: So far, Saffron's only gotten a mention, but don't worry, he'll show up soon enough. Apart from occasionally touching bases with the rest of the cast back in Nerima, the next few chapters focus on Ranko on her own in China. In the course of writing It's All in the Reflexes, I had a few readers ask what was going on back in Nerima. Here in this chapter, you get a hint, but not the full story. I did not want to interrupt the story of what happened in China with a subplot featuring Genma, Soun and Happosai off by themselves. In some ways, I think it is almost better to leave what happened to the imagination. If the occasional flashback is not enough for you, let me know. If enough people want to see a side story on that subject I might write it. Of course, there are a number of lemon scenes that people have asked to see published, too, so it might be a low priority! _


	3. Part 03: Perspective Shifts

Perspective Shifts

* * *

Ranko paused a few steps into Prince Herb's sumptuous suite, still shell-shocked by Cinnamon's revelation. She barely noticed the soft click of the door closing as the dragon shut it behind her. While Cinnamon continued on down the hall to meet with the Musk Emperor, Ranko stood oblivious to the lustrous silk curtains, the intricately woven tapestries and the fine teak furnishings and floor tiling. The wealth and history represented by the exquisitely appointed room made little impression on her mind as her eyes became absorbed in their minute details.

On an unconscious level, these manifestations of the power and longevity of the Musk Empire only underscored the unhappy lesson she had just learned. More than halfway through her teen-age years, Ranko had developed a sense of her own mortality. She had endured enough strife as Ranma to ensure that, but for added measure, she had actually died as Fa Shen. In her most recent battle with Herb, she had very nearly been killed.

It was hardly surprising that she failed to realize that her true—and only recently revealed—nature made Ranko immortal. It was worth asking herself if—had she come to that conclusion on her own—she would have understood how immortality would impact the delicate web of relationships she had become entangled in.

Whether she figured it out on her own or not, the shock and horror of that revelation would have hit her just as hard. Had the blow come in the midst of combat, Ranko would not have recovered in time to save herself. The impact was an endless rain of punishment, a brutal beating delivered with the strength and substance of every heart-felt bond. For a moment, her consciousness of the pain and suffering this new truth could bring—not only to her, but to everyone she held dear—paralyzed Ranko with indecision.

It had been the same consciousness of inflicting pain and misery on others that had made her so indecisive about choosing a fiancée as Ranma. Ultimately, it had resulted in her promising to marry someone she had very little interest in even knowing, let alone marrying! Too late, Ranko had realized that she was willing to allow everyone she loved to be hurt in order to protect them from something even worse. Far too late, she had realized that she was willing to kill, if that was the only hope she had of protecting those she... loved.

Ranko blinked and shook her head slightly as she stumbled over that last thought. It had been weeks since she had resisted admitting her true feelings—to others, but most especially to herself—in the belief that it was unmanly. The mental stutter was an abrupt reminder that the person she had once been was still very much a part of her. The greater question of who and what she was, which becoming Ranko allowed her to explore without fear or shame, could not diminish the fact that she was still Ranma.

Having come to think of the day that Ranma became cursed as the true beginning of her life as Ranko, she had no difficulty believing that the strong feelings she had for her friends and family were in fact her own. But, like her identity, her emotions had originated in and evolved from being Ranma. Which explained why she still hesitated to admit that she had particularly strong feelings for anyone. Especially Ryouga, Akane and Ukyo.

"Is it possible to be with ALL of them?" Ranko asked herself cautiously, almost hopefully. Realizing that she had asked the wrong question, she sucked in a sharp breath. "Is it possible to be with ANY of them?" she restated the question bitterly, allowing her thoughts to return to Cinnamon's revelation.

More than ever, the question that mattered was not who she loved, or who loved her, but who would suffer as a result of whatever decision she made. No matter what she did, no matter what sort of decision she made, people were going to be hurt. She could not prevent that. She needed to take Cinnamon's warning to heart, and so did anyone who wished to be a part of her life.

That did not mean her only hope was finding another immortal. Whatever she chose to do, she needed to be certain that it was worth paying the price. Which brought her back to the situation she was in.

In spite of the fact that the dragon prince had chosen to hold her promise in reserve, Ranko had forsworn all other engagements to marry Herb. Because of what had happened between Ryouga and Ranma, Ranko could not dismiss the possibility that Herb had genuinely fallen in love with her, and she had no clue how he—or she, at the moment—intended to make Ranko fall in love with her. She could not imagine how Herb could succeed in winning her heart with her promise hanging over her head, but she could imagine the cost—for herself and those she loved—if the dragon princess succeeded.

If she wanted to avoid seeing the people she cared about end up trying to kill each other, she needed to make Herb understand a hard lesson she herself was being forced to learn.

"Sometimes you can't be with the one you love," she stated it aloud, allowing it to settle into her bones.

"So, love the one you're with."

Ranko jumped up at the sound of Herb's voice and whirled around to stare at the cursed prince in apprehension. "How long have you been standing there?" she demanded, holding a hand over her racing heart.

"Not long," the white-haired young woman responded. When Ranko sagged in relief, Herb continued in an artfully casual tone, "But, long enough. Just so you know, taking to yourself will not convince me you're crazy. Well, at least not insane."

"Lots of people talk to themselves," Ranko tried to defend herself, crossing her arms under her breasts to contain a surge of annoyance.

"True, but few of them truly are more than one person," Herb pointed out objectively, with a tiny smile.

"Funny," Ranko retorted with mock sarcasm. When Herb simply bowed her head and smiled broader, Ranko snorted lightly and flopped down on the nearest couch.

A moment later, Herb joined her on the couch, being careful to sit at the far end to give the red-head space. Once Herb was comfortable, Lime and Mint entered from a curtained-off doorway carrying light refreshments on gilded, teak trays.

Ignoring the two young men, and the longing stares they molested the two girls with, Herb announced, "My father is meeting with your advocate at the moment, so I do not expect that we will be summoned to dinner for a while yet. I took the liberty of ordering something to take the edge off your hunger. Please, have a drink, and tell me how your audience with the Council of Elders went."

Ranko sat up and looked longingly at the serving platters presented by Herb's henchmen, sparing one glance to confirm Herb's offer before snatching a tray out of Lime's hands and stuffing a dumpling into her mouth. Once it, and several branches of its family, had been swiftly consumed, Ranko leaned back with a content sigh and complied with Herb's request.

Once she had completed her report, carefully editing out the part about her being some sort of Amazon Princess, she paused to nibble on some more tidbits while Herb ranted about the way she had been treated. On the whole, Ranko agreed with the Musk Princess's opinion, but she could not help but wonder if Herb's outrage was merely staged for her benefit.

"About the only useful thing those reactionary old women did was grant you immunity to the Kiss of Marriage, reducing the brides and husbands you picked up as Ranma and Fa Shen to mere suitors!" Herb snapped, as her angry tirade wound down.

"Yeah, but only because they think it'll keep you from forcin' me to marry you," Ranko pointed out belligerently. When Herb turned to stare at her in reproach, Ranko shrugged. "You're the one who decided to keep my promise a secret. Why should I tell them they're wrong. Though, it would almost be worth it to seem them all have a fit."

"I suppose the only thing more appalling to them than allowing a girl your age to claim the power and privileges of a matriarch would be allowing her to become an enemy prince's bride," Herb proposed, restoring her composure.

"There's one more thing," Ranko announced, setting her drink down and looking Herb in the eye. When she was certain she had her attention, she said, "After hearing the council's decision, I told Mom and everyone to return to Japan. Everything I tried to accomplish here has been done or never will be."

"I see," Herb acknowledged, giving her a studying look.

From the way the girl with the snowy mane was looking at her, Ranko knew Herb suspected her real reason for sending her friends home. "I told everyone that I made a promise not to marry anyone else to keep you from hurting them. I also told them I'd catch up to them in a week."

"Why a week?" Herb asked, slightly confused. "I mean, if you plan to leave so soon, why not simply leave now with the others?"

Ranko shrugged. "Normally, if someone got the better of me in a fight, I'd spend some time training and come back a week later for a rematch. It took longer than that to track you down on the way to Mount Horaisan, but you remember how that ended, right?"

Herb's eyes widened. "You plan to beat me in a rematch to get out of your promise?" she asked in smiling disbelief.

"Hey, you were the one who bragged about beating me with my own confidence," Ranko reminded the cursed prince pointedly. With a shrug she continued, "You knocked me out, Herb. There's no question I did not win that fight, but it wasn't a clear victory for you either."

"You presume too much," Herb growled, giving Ranko an irate glare. "Out of respect, I acknowledged your superior power and the fact that you would have defeated me utterly if not for the opening and opportunity you presented to me. As you are so well known for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, I merely pointed out that I defeated you in your own tradition."

"Are you really that proud of your victory, Herb?" Ranko taunted, still bitter about the fact that she had to admit defeat because the price for victory would have been the lives of people she loved. In a more civil tone, she inquired, "Wouldn't you like to find out if you could really beat me without taking a cheap shot or by using dirty tricks?" Ranko taunted.

"Who are you accusing of using underhanded methods to win battles, Ranma?" Herb asked, blushing in spite of herself as she remembered the infuriating tactics Ranma had employed in their battles over the Kaisuifuu.

"Huh. So, you're still mad at me for flashing you?" Ranko allowed herself a tiny smirk of satisfaction. Herb turned a deeper shade of red and held her breath to contain her reaction, and Ranko smiled. "You may think I could never get you to wager my promise on another fight. Just remember, there's always more at stake. There'll always be something more you want. There's also the chance that I could play by your rules, and use something important to you to make you play by my rules."

"What do you mean?" Herb demanded petulantly.

"I mean, I only promised I'd marry you, Herb," Ranko reminded the other cursed girl pointedly. The look she was giving hinted that her cooperation would end the instant they exchanged vows.

"But, I told you, I do not intend to hold you to that promise until I have won your heart. I want a willing bride, Ranko," Herb contested with restrained emotional emphasis.

Ranko's smile turned menacing. She could feel Fa Shen coming to the surface in her. "I don't remember promising to be a 'willing' bride," Ranko declared fiercely, wincing as her aura flared up in defiance.

Herb stared at her in disbelief, astonished at the amount of ki Ranko could summon when that very morning she could barely stand to touch her ki at all. Herb had spent the past few days torturing herself, trying to build up to the level where she could channel enough ki through her body to enhance her fighting abilities.

Herb stared at her incredulously for a few moments, before flushing, coughing and clearing her throat. "Um. I hate to say this, but the promise you made does compel you to be a willing participant in our marriage. A wife does, after all, have certain... ah, obligations..."

Ranko's display faded and the flood of erotic pain accompanying the surge subsided into a numb tingling. She shook her head, trying to ignore the lingering arousal caused by her sexually charged aura. "You mean, I'd have to have sex with you," Ranko spelled it out bluntly, still holding Herb's eyes. "I mean, the whole point of marrying me is to strengthen your bloodline, after all. To honor my promise, I would be forced to, right?" When Herb blushed and nodded, Ranko smiled sweetly and asked, "Does that sound willing to you?"

Herb suddenly found it hard to return her gaze.

"It doesn't matter, though, because no matter how many times you forced me, you'll never get me pregnant," Ranko added projecting an air callous indifference to conceal the twisting tides of her true emotions.

"What makes you believe that?" Herb demanded with a faint sense of unease. Ranko was a fool to believe that she would be allowed to use any form of contraception if she openly defied the Musk Emperor's demand for an heir.

"Well, to start with, I never promised to bear children," Ranko retorted defiantly. Fa Shen was very close to the surface now, carrying Ranko in a battle Ranma would have lost from the outset. "More importantly, what makes you think I would take any chances with a man who had proven that he could force himself upon me?"

"What are you trying to say, Ranko?" Herb asked her with studied, indifferent curiosity, studying the red-head intently over the rim of her glass.

"I am simply pointing out that I am Pa Shen's daughter," Ranko reminded proudly, as the spirit of Fa Shen connected to the present, at last, through Ranko. Caught up in the verbal dispute, the girl did not even notice the assimilation of her past life, surrendering a former identity to embrace the future ahead of her as Ranko. "Do you think, after what she endured at the hands of the Musk, she would allow her daughter to be vulnerable to the same fate? Do you think it was simple ambition that drove her to force me to master ki techniques while I was still just a girl?"

The implications of Ranko's defiant words finally penetrated Herb's disbelief. Staring at Ranko in dismay and recognizing what part of her was asserting itself, she asked, "Are you telling me that you know a technique that will render you infertile?"

Ranko nodded silently.

Herb sat staring at the defiant redhead for several long breaths, shaking her head in disbelief. As Ranko had said, Herb's victory had indeed proven less than enviable after all. The promise Ranko had made was essentially worthless, because, as Ranko had implied, the stakes were actually higher now. Herb's lips moved silently as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. Then, without warning, the dragon princess erupted into unrestrained laughter.

When Ranko gave her a concerned, curious look, Herb brought her laughter under control, and observed, with apparent amusement, "It seems that I do not, after all, have unfair leverage over you."

Ranko stared at the other girl for a moment in incomprehension, until the realization pierced her soul. By undermining her promise to Herb, she had removed the one fatal obstacle to Herb's plans to seduce her.

* * *

At that moment, a young man was reaching the end of a long and perilous journey. His destination, both infamous and—until recently—unknown to him, was the valley of accursed springs, Jusenkyo. Ryu Kumon, formerly a student of the sealed art of the Saotome Ryu Yamasenken, had embarked upon a voyage of training to develop a new art to help him rebuild the Kumon Dojo. As a consequence of losing his bid to claim the companion art of the Yamasenken, and thus forfeiting his right to practice either the Yamasenken or the Umisenken, he had set out to rediscover and claim an ancient art known as the Shokei Fist.

It was not entirely coincidence that he had learned of this ancient art. During his battles with Ranma Saotome, he had learned of the tragic powers of Jusenkyo embodied by the curse Ranma had possessed. Curiousto know how such a place could ever have become regarded as a training ground for martial arts, he had set out to discover the secrets of Jusenkyo for himself.

It had not taken long before his search led back to the Tendo Dojo. The one person in Nerima in the business of answering questions about Jusenkyo curses had turned out to be the middle Tendo daughter. After extorting a number of free meals and desserts, and charging a steep fee, Nabiki had provided him with a translated copy of the guide book Genma had used to locate Jusenkyo and a list of authorities on Jusenkyo.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on whom one asked, Ryu had been able to deduce the secrets of the Umisenken by observing Ranma using it during their final battle. Following that demonstration, and in spite of being banned from practicing that art, he had made use of the "silent thief" techniques to gain access to the archives and records hidden at the Cat Café and Dr. Tofu's clinic.

He had not been able to make a detailed study of Cologne's books, since he had a very narrow window to slip in, find the answers he was looking for and get out undetected, but it was enough to learn of the Musk, who had descended from the original masters of the Shokei Fist, the ancient martial artists responsible for creating Jusenkyo's reputation as a training ground. From Cologne's books, he had also learned that the Musk did not practice the true form of the Shokei Fist, but a variant that relied on breeding animal traits into its human practitioners.

Ryu Kumon's research into the True Shokei Fist had been rewarded with very little success after that, but finally, after months spent traveling to distant temples, monasteries and training grounds in Japan and China, he had finally found these words of wisdom. "The Path of the True Shokei Fist lies in mastering the Curse of Jusenkyo."

The wizened old monk who had shared that crucial secret had recited it with the passion of a man how had only recently attained enlightenment. For Ryu, whose quest had already brought him to the province in which the cursed springs lay, revelation confirmed his suspicion that the answers to all his questions would be found at Jusenkyo itself.

Sadly, Jusenkyo was not a place inclined to divulge its secrets, as more interesting fates and diversions were always more likely to be found among its mist shrouded pools.

Thus, instead of enlightenment, what Ryu found as he entered the valley of accursed springs was—to all appearances—an angel perched upon a pole above a shimmering pool on the nearest edge of the flooded valley. Stunned by this unearthly sight, the boy stopped and slipped instantly into the cover of the Umisenken.

The angel balanced gracefully on one foot, wings outstretched for balance as she peered down into the pool beneath her. Her pale hair and feathers glowed with silver highlights in the brilliant light of a full moon. The water danced and writhed with motion that suggested someone or something must have fallen into the spring immediately prior to Ryu coming around the bend into full view of the valley. In confirmation, a woman—no, another angel, as evidenced by the wings that unfurled as she emerged from the depths of the pool—broke the surface and gasped for air.

Ryu held his breath as the first angel reared back in evident surprise. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded in a ringing voice of command.

"It is as I said, Captain Kiima. The Nyanniichuan is no more. It is no longer possible for female scouts such as I to assume human form by using this spring," the second angel declared somewhat defensively.

"Forgive me, Kaana," the first soothed in less strident tones. "I should have known that you would not have defied my order for fear of the curse. This is, however, a most unfortunate discovery. How has this come to pass? Could this then be the confirmation we sought? Yet, this only makes it more imperative to send a scout into the village of the heroines."

"Lord Saffron will be displeased with me," the second angel wailed softly, covering her face.

"Fear not. I am at fault for refusing to keep a stock of nyanniichuan water just for such purposes. I shall enlist some of the men to scout the region for such stores of cursed water, and perhaps a male scout might yet be able to discover some of the secrets of the amazons. Come, Kaana, let us return to the clouds."

With a nod, and a stifled sniffle, the second angel agreed and took wing after the first. Only when the pair had disappeared among the stars did Ryu let out the breath he had been holding and release the shroud of invisibility.

"It very dangerous to be in Jusenkyo when Hououjin come," a voice declared from just behind Ryu. "You very fortunate customer at being so skilled in art of peeping."

"Who the hell are you? And who said I was peeping?" Ryu roared, whipping around to face a plump man in Chinese Red Army uniform.

"Oh, very sorry, honored customer. I am Jusenkyo guide. The technique you use very similar to very ancient, very honored, very perverted customer, Happosai. He call to say he coming to visit soon, I simply assume you must be honored protégé. I so sorry."

"Huh? Uh... yeah." Ryu scratched his head and shrugged off the alarm and anger he had reacted with.

"Now. You come. It very dangerous to visit accursed springs in dark. You come. I fix tea, tell you tragic, tragic story of Jusenkyo while you relax, yes?" the guide prompted nervously, clearly expecting the boy to turn and race headlong into fate's drowning embrace.

Ryu hefted his backpack and gave the misty valley a long look, before turning to reply, "Sure. I don't suppose you know anything about the Shokei Fist, do you?"

"Ah, you knowledgeable customer. One time, many thousand year ago, accursed springs of Jusenkyo very famous training ground for students of Shokei Fist. Then new faction emerge, try to change art and tradition. Much fighting, much bloodshed as Musk rose into power and hunt down last of followers of True Shokei Fist. Very, very tragic story. Come, I tell you," the guide encouraged, waving the boy along as he turned onto the path leading back to his little hut.

* * *

While the Jusenkyo guide led Ryu Kumon away from certain disaster in the cursed springs, Captain Kiima and her lieutenant, Kaana, were soaring toward the crest of Mount Phoenix, the home of their people. As they approached, winged guards could be seen circling the peak, a small squad veering towards them to issue a formal challenge for identification. Kiima identified them and ordered Kaana to return to her usual duties, taking a direct course to the balcony outside of Lord Saffron's audience chambers.

The guards standing watch on the balcony saluted as she glided in for a landing, to whom she nodded curtly in reply. With shoulders squared in determination, she marched in through the curtained opening to face the lord chamberlain and the tempestuous child-god of her race. In the back of her mind, she lamented the fact that her guards were only able to fly night patrols three nights a month, owing to the abominable night vision of the Hououjin. In ages past, her people had faced no threats from the air, where they had ruled supreme, but in the past hundred years things had changed, as mankind took to the sky in their accursed airplanes and helicopters.

Shaking off such mundane concerns, she passed through the door separating the public audience chambers from the private suites where Saffron liked to amuse himself. Not too long ago, such amusements had been those of a young boy, such as Lord Saffron appeared to be. But, as more and more of the phoenix's memories of previous incarnations returned to him, Lord Saffron required more sophisticated distractions from his growing frustration and impatience with his childish stature.

"My Lord Saffron," Kiima announced herself at once. "There has been a complication."

"Kiima!" Saffron greeted her impulsively with lingering enthusiasm, jumping up and almost running to hug her. With a visible effort, he restrained himself and as he restored his composure, he ordered, "Report, Captain."

Kiima nodded in obedience. "I have returned with Kaana and confirmed her report that the Nyanniichuan has been relieved of its curse. It is no longer possible for my female scouts to take human form, and I regret to inform you that I failed to stockpile water from the spring in anticipation of this event."

"This is dreadful news!" the lord chamberlain, standing ever patient and vigilant in the wings, announced. "You are certain that the curse itself has been lifted? You are certain that the spring was not merely destroyed?"

"The spring itself is intact, but its waters no longer have any effect," Kiima asserted crisply.

"But, how is this possible?" Saffron demanded, scowling in confusion. He knew instinctively that this was an event of considerable importance. A hasty search through his memories suggested that he should have anticipated such a thing, but when nothing more than a suspicion turned up, he found it hard to condemn Kiima when he was the one who should have ordered the stockpiling of nyanniichuan water in the first place, in one incarnation or other.

"My Lord Saffron," the chamberlain responded dryly. "According to legend, the only way a curse can be lifted from a spring is if a reincarnation of the original victim were to fall into that spring, thereby permitting the resurrection of the original entity. If there is no error in Captain Kiima's observations, then I believe this event can only mean one thing."

"What would that be?" Kiima inquired, knowing that Saffron would not condescend to ask in the wake of such obvious prompting.

"For one, this is indeed confirmation of your suspicions, my lord. According to legend, the young girl sacrificed by the Musk to create the Nyanniichuan fifteen-hundred years ago was the daughter of Pa Shen, your phoenix ancestor!" the chamberlain revealed with excitement. "With the curse lifted from the spring, it is certain that the entity you sensed several days ago was indeed another phoenix!"

Saffron stared at his chief minister in surprise for a moment before turning to Kiima. "Is there any chance this phoenix could be one of the girls your spies reported appearing recently among the amazons?"

"My lord, that was what Kaana's mission was supposed to confirm. However, from outside sources, we have heard rumors about the resurrection of a legendary amazon maiden named Fa Shen," Kiima declared, wishing she had been able to get more reliable information. "I intend to have some of my men scout closer for better intelligence."

"That would be a good idea, Kiima. In addition, perhaps it would be wise to stockpile some Nanniichuan water, if nothing ill has befallen it as well," Saffron suggested. "Lord Chamberlain, is there anything else you can tell me about this girl of legend?"

"My lord, I believe the archives include a portrait of her, as well as historical and biographical information," the old man responded.

"Excellent. I wish to learn more about this other phoenix. See to it at once. Kiima, use whatever means necessary to penetrate the amazon village. I am certain you could find some way of disguising yourself appropriately."

"Yes, my lord," Kiima bowed, her mind turning instantly to the alternative—and much dreaded—method. Instant Nyanniichuan could be readily found, but it was notoriously unreliable. If she did not take precautions to lock the temporary curse, she might revert to her true form in the middle of her mission, but if she did risk locking it somehow, she might never regain her true form.

As she bowed deeper and excused herself, Kiima swallowed the surge of anxiety and reminded herself that it was fatal to defy the will of her lord and god. Whatever the risks, she had her commission. It was time to pay the Musk fortress a visit and hope that the witless henchmen of Prince Herb were still fascinated by female anatomy and remained charged with bearing the sacred treasures of the Musk.

* * *

Ranko discovered that she did not have much of an appetite left when she and Herb were finally summoned to dinner. That was easy to attribute to being shocked twice in one evening. Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she would learn to just keep her mouth shut. While this latest gaffe was nothing compared to the bombs she—or formerly, Ranma—blurted so often at Akane, it remained true that her big mouth had created yet another problem for her. Thanks to her brilliant argument against the success of any relationship between her and Herb, both of them were now on equal footing.

That was not immediately obvious, since Ranko had only one possible response to any marriage proposal from Herb. If he asked, presuming he ever regained his manhood, Ranko was obligated to say yes. But, for the first time, Ranko was compelled to look beyond the ceremony and the exchange of vows and consider what it would mean to be married.

The real contest, so to speak, would be based on how they interacted as a couple. Being forced to marry him did not in any way obligate her to love him, but his determination—and Ranko paused for a moment to realize that the change brought about by her defiance had caused her to resume thinking of the prince as a guy, regardless of the form he was currently trapped in—to have her love him would compel him to pursue her in ways that she had no sure defenses against.

Not after Cinnamon's revelation.

Herb already had one thing going for him. Well, two things, but Ranko had never felt it was essential for the person she married to have a curse like hers.

Herb was descended from dragons, and like his father, he would have a very long life. Quite possibly, Herb was every bit as immortal as she was. From what she had gathered in passing, the men who had preceded Spice had passed on their legacy as a result of dying before their time. Many had been slain by their "wives" like Ergot, and more had died in combat, but quite a few had been done in by their own heirs.

At least, that was what Herb had told her when she turned the conversation away from their relationship to gently probe into the longevity of his bloodline. Herb had been surprised when she asked him just how long he thought he would live, telling her that all dragon descendants had the potential to live forever, just like true dragons. The catch was, the dragonling had to tap into and embrace his dragon heritage—releasing themselves from the limitations of their human existence and becoming dragons in their own right.

Ranko did not need to be told that Herb was already one step closer to achieving that dream than his father. Herb's curse, if he ever managed to master it, would give him the edge he needed to release himself from human form, because the process of mastering it would be the first step in overcoming his limitations as a man.

For pretty much the same reason, Pa Shen had tried to convince Fa Shen to allow herself to become cursed by the Nanniichuan. By exploiting the training for the True Shokei Fist, Pa Shen had hoped to help her daughter inherit her full potential as a phoenix. What had happened since her reflections were split off by the mirror, was certainly not what Pa Shen had intended. In addition, Ranko had not actually mastered her curse. Ranma and Fa Shen had, but Ranko did not know if she had inherited that when the three of them had fused together. At the moment, it could be fatal for her to test it.

That did not change the fact that Ranko had tapped into her potential as a phoenix because of her curse and the way it had forced her to evolve. She did not doubt for an instant that splitting Herb with the Chaunshontsuniichuan and having the resulting couple engage in sex together would have a similar effect on the dragon prince.

Ranko could not help but glare as she entered the dining hall and took a seat across the long dining table from Cinnamon. Like Herb, Cinnamon was an individual Ranko could count on to live as long a she would, and like Herb, Ranko had no special feelings for her. Ranko had no idea how she could ever get past the resemblance. In male or female form, Cinnamon was an older version of Ranko. Or, in female form, a younger version of her mother.

With a start, Ranko realized that the part of her that had been Fa Shen had been taken in by that resemblance. Pa Shen had been roughly the same age as Cinnamon, in appearance, for all of Fa Shen's life. Worse, Pa Shen had dominated her daughter's life the same way Genma had dominated Ranma's.

That was why she had accepted Cinnamon so readily as her advocate. Shaking her head, she realized that she had been glaring too openly at Cinnamon. Herb had noticed, and the look she was giving Ranko begged for an explanation. Cinnamon, engaged in conversation with Herb's father, had glanced at her once, smiled and returned to arguing with the emperor, keeping his attention on her.

Glancing to her right, Ranko studied the emperor seated at one end of the long table. Herb was seated opposite her father at the foot of the table, so the only person Ranko could speak to without raising her voice was Cinnamon. Not that she had any difficulty hearing what Spice was saying to her advocate. The Emperor of the Musk was clearly still furious about the ruling of the Council of Elders.

"Why I have half a mind to ask you to raze their tiny village to the ground!" Spice bellowed, shaking his finger at the full-blooded dragon sitting across from Ranko.

"Oh, please. Don't tempt me. Not that it would make much difference," Cinnamon rebuffed with a chuckle. "The last time I did, they had it rebuilt again in a month. Out of respect for the poor men who died sweating and straining to get the job done so quickly, I resolved to express my ire in more creative—and personal—ways after that. It also turned out to be a much more amusing way to while away the years."

"Be that as it may, I am starting to think it might be time to remind the Joketsuzoku that it is not wise to court the anger of the Musk," Spice replied, waving his hand to dismiss his previous threat. Turning to Ranko, he nodded in greeting. "Thank you for joining us, Ranko. It is a pleasure to have you at my table at last. I suppose you, at least, are pleased to have gained immunity from the kiss of marriage in the nick of time."

"Ah... er..." Ranko gaped, unprepared for the conversation to jump so suddenly into her lap.

"To be honest," Cinnamon cut in, "the council dared to offer an even greater insult to her than they risked handing you, Spice. I mean, considering who she is, after all."

"Well, we know who she is, Cinnamon. This girl is the legendary Fa Shen, reborn and resurrected," Spice observed unnecessarily.

"Oh, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," Cinnamon began, giving out a yelp as Ranko kicked her in the shin.

When the dragon turned to glare at her, Ranko hissed under her breath, "Don't go tellin' him I'm some kinda Amazon Princess!"

"I wasn't about to," Cinnamon growled back under her breath, before turning back to the emperor. "As I explained earlier, by virtue of those like myself, who were cursed in her image and bore young, Ranko is a matriarch and elder several times over. To refuse to recognize her as such was a mortal insult. If Ranko had not been injured in her recent battle with your heir, she could have rewarded their impudence by reducing their fields and village to ash."

"Truly then, a rash and unwise decision," Spice finally agreed, giving Ranko an appraising look. Those eyes flickered once to take in the bleached appearance of his at-the-moment-daughter, before returning to Cinnamon. "As you said earlier, a prize like Ranko is better courted than conquered, I suppose."

"I'm not a prize," Ranko growled, turning her ire on him.

"That's what Herb said when I first suggested you as a bridal candidate," Spice responded swiftly, casting a taunting look down the table at his wayward son.

"You mean, when you ordered me to marry Ranma, Father. I assure you, neither he nor I could have found the proposal in the least palatable," Herb snapped in instant, restrained fury.

"And yet, did you not come to me the morning after your battle with Ranko and ask for permission to court this young lady?" Spice challenged, gesturing at Ranko.

"Certainly," Herb responded without hesitation.

"But, isn't Ranko also Ranma?" Spice goaded.

"Ranko is more than Ranma. More than Fa Shen even, I suspect. And, as she pointed out just this evening, in spite of the fact that I beat her, I certainly did not defeat her," Herb asserted, giving Ranko an odd, admiring look.

"Not by a long shot," Ranko grumbled, looking away and resisting the urge to squirm in discomfort. She silently wished that absorbing Fa Shen had given her some kind of defense against the effects of such displays of emotion from girls.

"So, naturally, I realized that my only hope of fulfilling your command was to court her," Herb concluded, reinforcing her position. She held her head up and stared at her father until he nodded.

"Very well. Though, you have to admit that her friends put you at something of a disadvantage as far as conducting this courtship of yours," Spice pointed out with a faint scowl. As much as Spice delighted in having the more pleasant form of his curse-given daughter to look upon, he realized that Herb's present form was somewhat deficient for wooing a girl's heart.

"Actually, the fault's mine," Ranko confessed anxiously. When everyone looked at her, she shrugged. "I mean, if I hadn't burnt him out, It wouldn't have hurt Herb to be splashed or locked in girl form. It's my fault that the change almost killed him," she admitted guiltily.

Herb stared at her with a strange expression Ranko could not bring herself to meet. Following an unwise impulse, Ranko babbled on, "Not that it matters if Herb's a guy or not. I mean, to me. I mean, the only other guy I've ever really liked turns into a girl now, and everyone else I've ever liked WAS a girl. So, it's not like bein' a girl's a real obstacle or anything."

"I am sure that's something the two of you would have to sort out for yourselves once you're married, considering the way you are both cursed, but, make no mistake young lady, the person you're going to marry is my SON," Spice emphasized, meaning that officially Herb was to be the man in the relationship, unaware of how that emphasis was heard by Ranko.

Ranko's head snapped up as she stared at the emperor, suddenly suspicious. She glanced at Herb, but nothing on the neo-girl's face revealed whether or not she had confided the truth about Ranko's promise to her father.

Spice paused to sip from his glass, giving the long expanse of the table a studied glance. Servants moved during the pause to bring out the first course of the meal with soundless efficiency. Putting his drink down, he confessed, "I am disappointed that not even your mother accepted the terms of my invitation."

"What?" Ranko blurted, looking up from her soup as she realized that the comment was directed at her.

"Certainly Cinnamon told you?" Spice demanded, gracing the dragon with a critical look. "As I understand, you destroyed the place where you were staying in the village. In light of that, I told your mother and friends that they were welcome here as long as they refrained from interfering in your relationship with Herb," Spice clarified.

"Oh," Ranko responded absently. She reached for her glass and took drink to wet her suddenly dry mouth, before revealing, "Mom and the others have gone home, actually."

Spice's eyebrows shot up at that. "I find it hard to believe they would simply leave you here. I believe they demonstrated their, er, devotion to protecting you—or at least pursuing you for their own ends—in the aftermath of your battle with Herb."

Ranko swallowed hard and took another drink. "Well, they only came along to China to help me get back to, er, normal. I wasn't planning to stay here as an amazon. I mean, to them I'm Fa Shen, but that's not really who I am anymore. They're not the amazons I remember. The past is gone and nothing will bring it back, so I have to accept who I am now. That means I have to go back to Japan, as soon as I've recovered from my battle with Herb."

Spice regarded her silently for a moment. Clearing his throat, he responded, "I do not doubt that you have things to resolve back home. I am surprised however. I did not think you would be amenable to such a brief courtship. Herb gave me the impression that it would take far longer to win your heart."

Ranko folded her hands in her lap and thought furiously about what she should say. Herb had been explicit about how far Spice would go to ensure that she married his son. Fortunately, Cinnamon came to her rescue.

"I am sure that Prince Herb would have no objections to continuing his pursuit of Ranko in her own land," the dragon observed with a pointed look at Herb.

"Not at all. In fact, it was my intention to accompany her back to Japan at the end of the week," Herb volunteered, speaking as if that had been her plan all along, and not a spur of the moment decision.

"This was not what we discussed, Son," Spice intoned with obvious displeasure. Giving Ranko and Herb a stern look, he announced, "The notion of allowing this girl to leave here with no assurances does not please me. There is simply too much at stake."

The emperor took a deep breath and resumed, presenting Ranko with a more compassionate, but no less determined mien. "I realize that you think I am being unfair, young lady. You are, understandably, prejudiced by past experience. Please understand, I am not unsympathetic to your plight. I have taken the trouble to learn about the situation you have been in with regard to engagements arranged by your father.

"Unfortunately, none of the girls you were promised to as Ranma, and none of the boys who might be entitled to pursue you as Ranko—based on promises made before Genma had prospects of sons or daughters—have as much to offer or as great a need as we do," Spice declared passionately. Turning to Herb, the emperor demanded, "Can you honestly allow this girl to slip through your fingers, Herb?"

Herb started and visibly swallowed. "No, Father."

Spice nodded. "Are you still repulsed by the idea of being married to her?"

"No, Father," Herb shook her head firmly.

"I do not know what you managed to do to change my son's opinion of you, Ranko, but the very idea that you could have captured his heart makes it even more crucial for you to become his bride," Spice declared, before directing one last question at his son. "Is it true that you have fallen in love with this girl? Isn't that why you suddenly speak of courtship and following her wherever she leads?"

Herb found her eyes drawn to Ranko, who looked ready to explode—desperate to protest, and yet curious to hear Herb's reply. Unable to form words, uncertain precisely what she really felt—but knowing that the feelings inside her would compel her to pursue Ranko whatever the cost—Herb simply nodded.

"Then why can't you just ask her to marry you!" Spice commanded in exasperation.

"Wha... how could you...? I... I can't..." Herb gaped at her father in shock.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Ranko!" the emperor all but shouted, turning to the girl he had selected to carry on the imperial bloodline. When her head snapped around to meet his glare, he demanded point blank, "Could you really say no if Herb asked you to marry him?"

Ranko's mouth opened, and her skin seemed to turn to ice as the blood drained out of her. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming, "He knows! He knows! He HAS to know!" The edges of her vision began to blur and dance as she opened her mouth to protest, to accuse the emperor of cheating, but the only sound that emerged, in a rasp past suddenly parched lips, was, "No."

Ranko had some sense of motion along the left side of her vision, but that might have been a phantom of the colorless, cloying cavern closing over her as the world tilted away from the right. She had become confident that she would escape from her promise, confident that Herb's obsession would not be satisfied by anything less than her love and certain that he would never succeed in inspiring such feelings in her. Like the many promises her father had made, it would have hung over her head holding the future in limbo without ever coming to pass. But that escape had been denied.

Ranko's escape from consciousness was cruelly brief as well.

The first thing she realized, as her vision cleared and her thoughts regained coherence, was that she was cradled in a pair of slim, strong arms. A white, silken curtain hung over her face, framing the worried expression of a familiar, female prince.

"You caught me?" Ranko mumbled, thinking hazily of the distance Herb had to cross to prevent her from tumbling to the floor. With dismay she realized the Musk Prince could only have accomplished that with a boost of speed from her ki.

"I couldn't let you just fall," Herb replied acerbically, flushing faintly as Ranko's eyes returned to meet hers.

"It appears that you are not yet fully recovered, Ranko," Cinnamon declared, appearing at Herb's shoulder. "If you would please excuse us, Emperor, I'd believe it is best for Ranko to return to bed at this time."

"But of course. Herb, please escort your fiancée to your rooms. I am certain you could use some rest as well," Spice suggested, from where he stood beside his chair.

"I'm fine," Ranko protested, weakly, struggling to slither free of Herb's arms and regain her feet. Now that her brain was working again, she was mortally embarrassed that she had fainted.

"I'll be the one to decide that, young one," Cinnamon asserted, with a gentle brush of her fingertips across Ranko's brow. The delicate touch caused Ranko to go limp.

"Don't worry, Ranko," Herb assured, adjusting her grip as she stood and began to carry Ranko out of the dining hall.

Ranko stared at Herb in disbelief, as the import of what had just happened returned to her in a flash. All at once, all she could do was worry, protesting Herb's admonition with a hurt and accusing look. "How can you say that?" she cried softly.

"We'll talk about it later," Herb replied firmly, willing Ranko to stay silent until they were out of earshot. There was no question that Ranko thought Herb had betrayed her, that the whole scene had been set up by father and son to entrap her. Unfortunately, Herb could not deny it without revealing the truth about Ranko's promise to Cinnamon and Spice.

Ranko would have protested, stood screaming in fury, if she could have summoned up enough energy. Instead, she closed her eyes in defeat, feeling for the first time that she was truly alone in enemy hands. From the sound of things, Cinnamon was walking quietly beside Herb as they escorted Ranko back to the suite of rooms where Herb dwelt. With a pang of irritation, Ranko noted that her hosts had never made even a pretence of preserving her modesty by providing her with a room of her own. All along, she had been a prize already taken into possession.

These dark thoughts and feelings continued to churn as she was gently undressed and tucked into bed, joined shortly by both Herb and Cinnamon. The elder dragon was remaining true to her role as advocate and protector by putting herself between Ranko and Herb, but Ranko did take much comfort from that. Cinnamon had made it all too clear that she was just as determined as Herb to claim Ranko as her mate. Worse, of the three of them, Cinnamon was the only one who was capable of assuming male form—and of course the only one of them at the peak of her powers.

The only thing that could prevent Cinnamon from taking advantage of Herb and Ranko was Cinnamon herself.

"Not reassuring," Ranko breathed in faint despair.

"Would you find a different form more reassuring?" Cinnamon asked in a husky voice, guessing at the meaning of Ranko's faint words. She pressed her front to Ranko's back and slid a hand over the girl's abdomen.

As Ranko jerked away, turning to face Cinnamon and sitting up in outrage, the dragon and dragonling both reeled back and sat up to meet her angry gaze. Before Ranko could speak, however, a familiar pair of voices broke the silence.

"Titties!" chorused Lime and Mint in awed delight.

Cinnamon, Ranko and Herb turned as one to glare at the prince's loyal but bosom-obsessed henchmen, shouting, "Get OUT!" The joint command was accented by a sharp cry of pain as Herb reflexively unleashed a chi attack at the leering men.

"Herb!" Ranko and Herb cried, turning to the snow-tressed girl writing in pain on the bed. She spared no attention for the two men blasted through the wall into unconsciousness amid a pile of rubble.

"You fool! I warned you about controlling your impulses!" Cinnamon chastised, grabbing Herb and pinning her in place. "Ranko, hold her down while I see how much damage she did to herself."

"O-okay," Ranko gulped, taking the princess's naked limbs in her hands and straining to keep the other girl immobile.

"Now, brace yourself for a surge of pain. You will be feeling my ki as I read her," Cinnamon warned, before placing her hands on Herb's body. This was the reason Cinnamon had been forcing Herb and Ranko to sleep in the nude. They were both more likely to call on their ki by reflex while dreaming or if startled awake, and if they had been clothed, it would have been that much harder for Cinnamon to quickly diagnose and treat any damage they might do to themselves.

Ranko winced as she felt the flow of ki into Herb's body. It felt suddenly as if she was plunging her arms into a vat of molten metal. The pain was so sudden and intense that it temporarily blinded her. Gritting her teeth to contain the screams that wanted to escape, she focused all her will on maintaining her grip, silently pushing back against the searing agony.

For a fleeting second, Ranko felt a tremor in her flesh. Without an instant's hesitation, she released her grip on Herb and flung herself off the bed. Only as Cinnamon's head whipped around to stare at her in fury, did Ranko realize what it was she had felt.

"Ranko! I told you to hold her!" Cinnamon shouted, struggling to keep control of the girl writhing to escape from her touch.

"I can't!" Ranko cried in terror, staring at them with wide eyes. The tiny tremor she had felt had been a warning of imminent transformation. When she jumped back, she had been a hair's breadth from triggering the twinning curse that had fused Ranma and Fa Shen with her. "The agony! It's the trigger!"

"What?" Cinnamon blurted, breaking contact with Herb's skin and interrupting the flow of ki into the princess's body. As Cinnamon stared at Ranko in growing comprehension, Herb curled into a whimpering ball beside her. "Oh, Ranko! I'm sorry! I should have realized!"

Ranko swallowed hard and waved her hands. "No. It's not your fault. I should have figured it out before. Pain is the opposite of pleasure, but since my ki always causes pleasure, I wouldn't have set my new curse off on my own," Ranko observed with a slightly disturbed detachment. Her heart still pounded as she wondered what would have happened if she had been an instant slower. Would she have been ripped apart the way Herb had been when Ukyo locked his curse? Would she have survived the addition of that torture to the pain of just being split again?

One thing was certain, she was far more sensitive to the touch of another's ki than to a surge of her own. Looking up at Cinnamon, she confessed, "I'm vulnerable to anyone who can channel ki."

Cinnamon blinked once and then nodded in sober agreement. "I wonder why your new curse hasn't been triggered before this, though."

Ranko shrugged. "I guess the pain has to be as bad as, well, the uh... you know... was, um, good?"

"Ah. I see. Like you said at first. The 'agony'. If the trigger for your fusion was orgasmic, the most exquisite pleasure, than the complement would be the most exquisite pain," Cinnamon proposed, looking down to check on Herb as she stopped trembling.

Ranko nodded, edging forward to look at Herb. The Musk Princess lay panting and soaked in sweat, but she was conscious, turning to look Ranko in the eye. With a slight nod, she confirmed that she had heard and understood the exchange between Ranko and Cinnamon.

"It's t... it's too bad. The thing that... makes it easy to... undo your fusion... is the... the thing that... would make it fatal... to try," Herb observed in morbid irony.

Ranko closed her eyes and nodded again.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 03 _

_Author's Note: After much delay, the third chapter of Reflections: Paying the Price is finally done. Due to the many disasters in my life of late, I've been forced to put writing aside while striving to find work and a new place to live, while buried in a mountain of debt. That said, it was a pleasure to scrape up enough free time to write this chapter, but sadly not enough to give it as thorough a proof-reading as I normally try to do. So, please forgive the errors you might find, and if possible, let me know about them so I can fix them when time permits._

_As promised, Saffron finally gets a bit of screen time, as well as a surprise appearance from Ryu Kumon. Admittedly, this is still in the arena of setting the stage, so there is certain to be more excitement to come. For all of you who have been patient with me and waited for this chapter, my thanks! I hope you enjoy it!_


	4. Part 04: Aftershocks

Aftershocks

* * *

For what seemed like the thousandth time, Ranko's eyes snapped open. With a huff of frustration, she kicked free of the tangle of limbs and blankets that clung so disconcertingly to her and slid out of bed. The pale, cool light of the moon washed over the bodies of the two girls she had abandoned, and Ranko could not help but admire the beauty of her would-be lovers. Herb, she suspected, was at least twice her age and Cinnamon was easily two-thousand years older than that, but to look at them one would judge either girl to be seventeen at the least, nineteen at the most. Which was why Ranko had to stare at them. She wanted to burn into her mind what it really meant to be immortal, and thinking about it had been keeping her awake. Or, at least, it had been one of the things that had made it so difficult for her to fall asleep. Another was wondering if she would be married to one of them by the end of the week.

There was no way for her to know how Herb's father had taken her response to his question.

The thing that gnawed at her insides was an apprehension that he would take her admission as consent. It hardly mattered if Herb never asked her to keep her promise if Spice simply acted on that assumption. If Herb's father was anything like Genma or Soun, Ranko would have been whisked to the alter the instant the words fell from her lips.

Ranko shuddered and retreated from the bed chamber in haste.

With silent efficiency, Ranko dressed and slipped out of Herb's apartments to make a quick raid on the castle's kitchens. Without really thinking of it, she made a little training exercise out of it, testing the limits of her stealth and perception to slip through the massive fortress without disturbing any of the guards or staff unfortunate enough to have night time duties. If she had been able to call upon her ki, she could have easily escaped detection through the use of the umisenken techniques she had learned from Genma. Knowing that she could not simply cloak herself in invisibility, she had to concentrate on every movement, strain every sense, and once she had completed her mission, she celebrated her success with quiet gusto.

It occurred to her as she sat back, replete from her late night snack, that she might well have lain awake out of simple hunger. The seriousness of her situation rushed back to confront her. A month ago, as Ranma, she could not have even imagined anything being so upsetting it could distract her from a meal. "Have I changed so much?" she demanded softly, sitting up wide eyed at the realization. Ranko closed her eyes, and wrapped her arms around herself. It was so easy to summon up the ghost of her former self. After her experience with the circuit, it took no effort at all to be him and remain herself at the same time.

"I could just as easily be Fa Shen, y'know. Or just another Ranko," Onna-Ranma poked at the remains of Ranko's meal before rising from the table and wandering towards the sitting room to see if any of the food Lime and Mint had brought there before dinner remained. "'S kinda funny callin' on me when, um, we're stuck as a girl." She observed, shrugging and scratching at her head.

"Yeah. I know. Except that I wanna talk to you. I think it's time that I really talked to you," Ranko observed, running her hand through the hair Ranma had tousled. "I kinda wish I'd done this when we were still split."

"Why bother, Ranko?" Ranma asked, taking possession again and wandering towards a couch. "It's not like I don't know what you're thinkin' after all. Unless you're plannin' to try and make Herb think you really are crazy, talkin' to yourself like this." Ranma fluffed up a cushion and then perched comfortably on the couch.

Ranko frowned and then rearranged herself on the cushions, tucking her feet in under herself.

"Do we have to sit like a girl?" Ranma demanded at once.

"It's more comfortable to sit this way," Ranko retorted, leaning into the armrest.

"Yeah, but it limits our mobility and sets us off balance," Ranma continued to protest.

"I don't think that's something I've gotta worry about right now," Ranko dismissed, knowing full well that Ranma's objections had nothing to do with combat readiness. In an intuitive flash, she realized that the Ranma she had summoned up in her mind was closer to the real Ranma than the one split off from her by the mirror.

The Ranma that Ranko had absorbed the day she lost her battle with Herb had been more of a duplicate of herself trying to be Ranma. Her mind focused on that observation, refining it. Because Ranma was part of who she was, Ranko could pose as Ranma—but she could only BE Ranma by NOT being Ranko... or Fa Shen. In spite of each of them being an incarnation of the same person, what made that person Ranma, Ranko or Fa Shen was, in each case, an exclusive definition.

Identity.

If Ranko thought and acted in a certain way, she was Ranma—a boy who had experienced more of being a girl than he was able to cope with. Thinking and acting another way, she was Fa Shen—a girl who had awakened from death only to discover that the world and virtually everyone she had known in it had passed away.

Ranko's identity was the only one that encompassed the lives and identities of Ranma and Fa Shen, and thus was the only identity that allowed Ranma and Fa Shen to be the same person. She could become Ranma or Fa Shen by surrendering her identity as Ranko—the way she had surrendered her identity as Ranma to become Ranko—but the things she had done as Ranko and Fa Shen, or Ranko and Ranma, would undermine her identity as Ranma or Fa Shen.

Ranko blinked in surprise as her realization deepened.

The Ranma and Fa Shen split off from Ranko when the mirror's curse was broken had been undermined by their experiences with sex changing and with sex itself. The power of the circuit, the pooling of memory and experience, had forced them to become the same as Ranko, while being in separate bodies forced them to pose as Ranma and Fa Shen. Which was why they both had broken down mentally and emotionally. Their denial had ended when the circuit was opened by Ranko, forcing them to assume Ranko's identity in spite of being split off from her to deal with the power that was unleashed.

But, as long as Ranko remained herself, it took no effort to be Ranma and Fa Shen at the same time. If she looked inward, Ranko could sense Fa Shen looking back at her, silently prompting her to realize this truth, encouraging her to understand its implications. It was as if she was saying, "I am willing to be you, because you are who I have become and so I do not cease to be myself."

Ranko nearly gasped in surprise, and then turned mentally to Ranma, to find a resistance that disturbed her. For one thing, the mental image Ranma projected was decidedly male. But, that was not the extent of his defiance. As hard as it was, Ranma was capable of accepting his past life as Fa Shen, but not at the cost of his own future. Ranma could not surrender his life to Ranko, because Ranma did not believe that, as Ranko, he could fulfill his obligations or realize his dreams.

Ranma seemed to gaze back at her with fierce determination, equally conscious of Ranko's sudden epiphany, and his complaints underscored an unspoken challenge. He knew full well that she had eclipsed him, but he wanted to know if she respected his position. Ironic, considering that the purpose of this bizarre conversation was to explore his feelings, and how they influenced her.

Ranko blinked in surprise. "You haven't changed a bit," she realized aloud and if anything the image of him in her mind became even more fierce and defiant. There was a current churning in him and she had not noticed it building until now. While she had been caught up in her own problems, he had been thinking and for the first time she became aware of what he had been thinking about.

Onna-Ranma stretched out her hand and studied it intently for a moment. "I stopped being me," she said in a soft, agonized voice. "Can a person change more than that?" Her thoughts turned back to the moment she faced the prospect of becoming Ranko. They focused on the reason she had made that sacrifice, and then they jumped to a point only a few days past when that sacrifice became meaningless.

Ranko gasped. When her reflections had been fused back together, when she had absorbed them, she had become the only one capable of being Ranma. Or, as Ranma had realized, there was no longer a reason for her to be Ranko. Not when her reason for becoming Ranko was because one of her reflections was better suited to being Ranma. Onna-Ranma laughed suddenly, bitterly. "I was such an idiot. I gave my life to a copy of you! And what did he do, Ranko?"

Ranko sat open mouthed in shock as the realization rushed through her. She remembered what she had confessed, what Ranma had confessed before making the decision that allowed her to become Ranko. If Ranma ever forgot who he was and came to believe that he was a girl, the things he did as a girl would make it impossible for him to go back to being himself if he ever remembered the truth. "He became me," Ranko breathed.

Ranma nodded. "Why? Why, Ranko?"

Ranko closed her eyes. "Because I am the only way you can really be a girl."

Ranma nodded again. "You can be you and still be me, but I can't be you and still be me."

Ranko let it sink in. Remembered what she said when the others asked her what she was doing, why she had become a girl. "The only way I can not be Ranma is to not want what Ranma wants," she repeated softly. It had seemed so simple at the time. Thanks to Genma, manhood was the foundation of Ranma's whole identity, the focus of his whole existence, and the only way to be someone else had been to surrender it. "So, where is this going, Ranma?"

"I dunno. I mean, I only just realized that I have not been myself for all of this time. Everything that's happened since Pop thought of using that reflection to get out of the seppuku pact has been like a dream for me," Ranma sighed and looked up as if in search of words. "Aw, hell, Ranko. I don't know how to say this. It's like, you stepped in and got between me all all this weird stuff that's happened. You kept any of it from really happening to me, you know?"

Ranko blinked in surprise at the unexpected surge of gratitude pouring out of him. "What?"

"Geez, you know I can't explain this very well," Ranma sighed heavily. "If I had tried to hold on to myself, to being me, and all of that stuff happened to me... it woulda destroyed me, Ranko. I can see myself in you, Ranko. I can see Fa Shen in you too. The thing is, our lives pretty much end where yours begins. The moment I became you, I stopped. Nothing else happened to me. That's why I can be here now," Ranma tried to explain.

Ranko struggled to grasp it, reminding herself of the thought she had when "Ranma" responded to her mental prompt. It seemed illogical that a person, or at least a personality, could survive by not existing, but as she played through all the events that had happened since she asserted herself, it started to make sense. Ranko had absorbed everything that had happened to her and the reflections. "Are you... real?" Ranko suddenly asked.

"Real?" Ranma sighed. "I'm not another reflection. I... I am you. It's just... I guess... I finally remembered how to be me."

Ranko sat up and covered her face. "Is that it then? Is my time up? Are you asking for your life back, Ranma?"

"I don't know," Ranma replied softly. That had been the thing she had been struggling with in her own private thoughts. Ranma had a lot of obligations Ranko could not live up to. First and foremost, an obligation to be a man among men. Unlike Fa Shen, Ranma had not died. Ranma still had a life to live and as long as that remained true, she did not know if she could embrace the future as Ranko. Those thoughts continued to ring in Ranko's mind as the presence of Ranma sank quietly into the background. For more than an hour, she sat there sobbing quietly in the midst of confusion and emotional turmoil.

Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, and the questions she had meant to ask her alter ego remained unexplored. Whatever she had become, whatever strange truths had been uncovered about her true nature, and how it affected the complex tangle of relationships she had become knotted in, she could not confront them until she had resolved this question of identity and obligation.

Cinnamon finally slipped out of the shadows and approached the sleeping girl. She had woken up while Ranko was out seeking food and stood quietly in the shadows through the entire conversation she had with herself. Though Cinnamon knew very little about Ranma's history, she had picked up enough from her conversations with Nodoka to understand the significance of what she had just heard. She cursed herself silently for not anticipating this. Without her reflections, Ranko would feel pressure to resume the role she had lived prior to their interference. That should have been obvious. Unfortunately, the person she had been could not cope with what she had become and Cinnamon suspected that he knew it. That much was clear from how the conversation had ended. Unfortunately, now that this doubt had confronted her, it would undermine Ranko at a time when she needed to be absolutely certain of herself.

Fortunately none of her friends or family were around to encourage this regression. The girls, and possibly even Nodoka, would not be able to stop themselves from encouraging Ranma. Ryouga would oppose it, but the very manner in which he did would only provoke further regression. Even more troubling, this sudden reawakening of her former self might be the result of a subconscious attempt to escape from her promise to Herb. If Herb or Spice pushed the marriage forward, cutting Ranma loose might be the only way Ranko could resist them. Unfortunately, if Ranko did step aside for Ranma, it would ultimately destroy them both. The boy simply could not cope with the things Ranko had done, what Ranko had become. Cinnamon could not allow the girl to turn her back on those things simply to escape from an unhappy marriage to Herb.

Cinnamon knelt down on the floor in front of the couch Ranko was curled up on. Reaching out her hands, and weaving her thoughts into the sleeping girl's mind, she dove into her dreams in search of the newly awakened memory of Ranma. The dragon stealthfully slithered through the mists and shadows of Ranko's dreams, senses alert for any sign of the boy. It quickly became apparent that he had withdrawn to the very depths of Ranko's mind in the wake of their confrontation, and the dragon dove boldly after him. Focused on the image of Ranma, Cinnamon paid no attention to the images of Ranko and Fa Shen she stumbled across in her pursuit, or how those aspects turned in abject fear and fled from the dragon's probing thoughts. Cinnamon did notice that the presence of Ranma became caught up in the retreating tide of consciousness and redoubled her efforts to pin Ranma down when a tiny shadow strode out onto the path and looked up at her.

The dragon paused as the black tomcat narrowed it's sapphire blue eyes and hissed at her.

"Well... what is this?" the dragon rumbled in faint amusement. Cinnamon flicked a talon in the cat's direction, intending to scare it off the path. To her shock, the cat leapt into the air and her world exploded into pain.

Herb awoke with a start at the sound of Cinnamon's scream. She was just lunging up in the tangled sheets when that scream was answered by an inhuman yowl of fury. Forgetting her state of dress and crippled ki, she raced out of the bed chamber to see Ranko perched on the back of a couch in an odd crouch, one hand raised up like a paw threatening Cinnamon. The dragon woman was just rolling to her feet, having leapt back to escape from the fury of Neko-Ranko's initial attack. Her face and body were scored by a half dozen sets of gashes that were visibly closing as Herb watched. Neko-Ranko heard Herb's gasp of shock and turned to hiss a warning before leaping off the couch to a point equidistant from Herb and Cinnamon. Herb froze, as she suddenly realized what she was seeing. Risking a quick glance at Cinnamon, and noticing that a few tracks of blood were all that remained of her wounds, Herb saw a look of similar recognition on the dragon's curse-given face.

"The Neko-ken," Cinnamon breathed in horror, eyes fixed on Ranko in disbelief. Cinnamon's mind whirred, recalling some snatch of conversation about the many abuses Rank... Ranma suffered during his training by Genma, but Cinnamon had assumed that the part that sounded like training for the Neko-ken had failed, because Ranko had appeared to be completely sane.

"You can't be serious!" Herb demanded, wanting desperately to disbelieve the evidence of her eyes. "That's a forbidden technique! It drives people insane!"

Cinnamon actually turned her gaze away from Ranko to stare at Herb in disbelief. Slowly pointing toward the cat-possessed martial artist, Cinnamon cocked an eyebrow and said, "Does that look sane to you?"

Ranko's eyes shifted warily from one young woman to the other, showing no comprehension of their words, and suspicious of the hostile tone in their voices. She yowled another warning, flexing ki-clawed fingers like kneading paws and reducing the floorboards in front of her into a nest of shavings.

"Look at what she's doing to the floor!" Herb shouted in despair. "Stop that! Ranko!"

"Quiet, Herb!" Cinnamon warned harshly. "You are in no condition to defend yourself if she attacks you."

"How can she attack me? She shouldn't be capable of using her ki like this!" Herb snapped back, her mind dancing around to take note of all the expensive furnishings around Ranko, and agonizing over their possible destruction.

"How keen of you to notice, but unfortunately she doesn't seem to be aware of her limits," Cinnamon retorted acidly, while keeping her own amazement out of her voice. Observing the girl with eyes that could actually see ki flows, Cinnamon realized that she had been wrong about Ranko from the beginning. The first time she had seen the girl with her reflections, she had noticed the existence of the ki circuit that bound them together, but she had never seen it fully active. Except at a distance, when Ranko was fighting Herb. Cinnamon should have realized what the true nature of that circuit was when Ranko described the quality of her ki. When the girl mentioned it, Cinnamon recognized that the girl had tapped into a pure form of creative energy, but now the dragon finally grasped the fact that Ranko had merged with her reflections with their circuit open and active. When Cinnamon examined Ranko after the battle with Herb, it had been suppressed. Ranko's ki had been flowing at an ebb just below the threshold of the girl's awareness. When Ranko tried to raise her ki flow above that point, it had caused searing pain along those raw channels as Cinnamon had expected. What she had failed to take note of was the fact that Ranko's ki had been flowing constantly, and in the process restoring the channels it flowed through.

That was how Ranko had been able to call upon her ki so easily, earlier in the evening, and how she was able to call upon the full capacity of the neko-ken now. What Cinnamon had perceived as a near fatal searing of Ranko's ki pathways had actually been a purifying scourge of atrophied channels that was allowing her to finally grow into her true potential. The pain Ranko had been experiencing was like the cramping of growing pains.

"Are you saying she could injure herself if we provoke her?" Herb asked in bewilderment, wincing as the pile of shavings at Ranko's feet continued to grow.

"That is still a possibility. She seems to be recovering faster than I anticipated, but the fact that she is not fully recovered from her injuries makes her more dangerous than she might otherwise be," Cinnamon cautioned. It was certainly the reason that Cinnamon had no intention of fighting back, or provoking the neko-ken any further. Apart from shouting at Herb, Cinnamon kept her eyes on the cat girl and remained as still as she could. With Herb on the verge of a fit over the state Ranko was in and the damage she was doing to the apartment, but shouting at Cinnamon, Neko-Ranko seemed unsure about whether the dragon princess was a threat to her. "Damn those fools! They should have warned me that she's been cursed with this technique! We need to find out how they deal with it, what to do to restore her sanity!"

"That could take days! Are you serious?" Herb looked at the elder dragon suspiciously.

"In this state, Ranko has the mind of a cat. I aroused it by probing her mind, so believe me, I know this is true," Cinnamon responded, noting the body language of the dragon princess and how Neko-Ranko was responding to it. In soft, reasonable tones, she confided her assessment of the situation, "She doesn't understand what's going on, Herb. As far as she can tell, I am a threat, because I 'attacked' her, but she isn't sure about you yet. All she can tell is that you're angry and shouting at me... and I think you should keep doing that."

"You attacked her? You are responsible for this?" Herb snarled imperiously.

"Yes. That's perfect. Now, just pretend to chase me out of here... I will go seek out her friends and find out how to restore her sanity, and hopefully that will help you earn her trust and keep her calm until I can return. Just remember, Herb. She's just a cat, in this state. Do nothing to provoke her if you value your life. I will return as quickly as I can," Cinnamon promised, now carefully edging away from Herb.

"Do not waste time then, Dragon!" Herb yelled, realizing that her only option was to follow Cinnamon's plan. Straightening to her full height, and allowing her aura to flare up as much as she could bear, Herb began to stalk towards Cinnamon. "Make no mistake, you had better come back with a way of fixing her, and you had better be prepared to explain why you attacked her!"

"If your anger were not so useful now, I swear you would come to regret your tone. You and your father are the ones responsible for backing her into this corner, I just happen to have been the one standing there when she finally reacted to it!" Cinnamon warned, retreating rapidly toward the window. "If you are fortunate, your father will learn of this and find your would-be-bride unsuitable. It would be so unfortunate if the bride he hand picked for his heir snapped one night and turned him into cat food, don't you think?" With that, and a nasty grin, Cinnamon dove out the window. A moment later, a massive wall of scales appeared, blocking out the moon light as she reverted to her true form and took wing in pursuit of Ranma's mother and friends.

Herb followed all the way to the window, looking out at the retreating wyrm with a touch of awe and envy. She stared up after Cinnamon until the dragon was obscured by clouds and then turned to consider her betrothed. Ranko was curled up on the floor where she had retreated, watching Herb carefully. With a sigh Herb turned toward her and, schooling her features, approached her cautiously. "Oh, Ranko. What madness is this?" she asked gently, with genuine concern in her voice.

Neko-Ranko cocked one ear toward Herb, then stretched languorously, arching her back. She felt a lingering distrust of the girl approaching her, a vague memory of having fought her many times before. However, she was aware that a kind of understanding had been reached. They would fight again, but for now they were not fighting. In fact, she could recall that they had been sleeping together. With a flick of an imaginary tail, or rather the flick of a braided pig-tail, she turned and wandered into the bed chamber, hopping up and kneading the sheets with soft paws before nestling down and waiting for Herb to join her in bed.

Herb watched this with a kind of wonder, realizing that Cinnamon had been correct about Ranko's current state of mind, and gave in with a shrug. "Well, it's not like I don't know enough people who act like animals to deal with this. I am beginning to wonder if there is any end to the weirdness of your life, Ranko." Exhausted, Herb climbed into bed and fell quickly asleep.

* * *

Captain Kiima and her lieutenants circled above the towers of the Musk Fortress grateful that the light of the full moon enabled them to stage this raid into enemy territory. It was many hours before dawn, and the guards posted on the towers were dozing oblivious to their presence so high above. After one final circle, Kiima nodded to herself, satisfied that she had identified the correct tower and signaled her men. On silent wings, they dove quickly from the rarefied heights toward the tower housing Prince Herb's apartments, and the adjoining chambers of his henchmen. According to the spies that had penetrated the Musk, the two servants of Spice's heir had been charged with keeping and protecting the two greatest treasures of the Musk Dynasty, and Kiima would need to acquire both of them in order to complete the mission she had been charged with by Lord Saffron.

According to those same spies, the two young men had one major weakness, and as much as she despised the prospect, showing a little skin was a small price to pay to get her hands on the Chisuiiton and the Kaisuifuu.

Coming to a graceful landing on the sill of the window Cinnamon had leapt out of only an hour or so earlier, Kiima and her lieutenants slipped inside the massive fortress and oriented themselves. None of them noticed the stirring of a body in the adjoining bed chamber. As one, they slipped through the sitting room and closed on the door leading to Lime and Mint's chambers. Kiima quietly instructed her lieutenants to stand guard at the door as she slipped out of her tunic and into the room beyond. As they stood there, alert for possible danger, Neko-Ranko peered at them through the curtain covering the entrance to Herb's bed chamber.

Neko-Ranko peered at the strange creatures across the room from her and wiggled in anticipation, for there was no question what feathered wings implied to her feline mind. Play time. Pretty toys. Prey. On silent paws, she carefully stalked the two bird men, blending into the shadows and obscured by the many furnishings and draperies the sitting room contained. With growing eagerness, she closed the distance between her and her oblivious prey.

The two lieutenants stood at the door, one watching the door to the main hall, the other peering through a crack at their captain, as she stealthfully searched the room for the treasures she sought. They stiffened when her search brought her to the two men and her efforts to pry one of the treasures from their sleeping arms roused them.

Neko-Ranko, oblivious to the activity in the henchmen's room, tensed and watched the two bird-men for a moment until she concluded that they had not become alarmed at her presence, but rather were distracted by something else. So, while they watched as Kiima folded her wings out of sight and posed for the leering young men, Ranko moved into position to make her final pounce. The two bird-men froze in terror at the sound of Neko-Ranko's yowl of attack. She pounced out of the shadows, landing on the shoulders of the Hououjin nearest to her and riding him to the ground. The other bird-man leapt back to avoid being dragged down by his companion and ended up falling through the door into Lime and Mint's chamber.

Kiima, Lime and Mint all turned to see the lieutenant crash through the door, spotting the redheaded fury twisting and thrashing in a cloud of feathers and flailing wings. Whatever alarms the sight of winged intruders might normally have rang in the two henchmen's minds, the sight of a gloriously naked girl wrestling them completely blocked it out. Even worse, the feline behavior struck a chord in Lime, the larger of the two who happened to be descended from a tiger.

"Kitty!" was the only word that escaped the large, young man, before he dove into the fray intent on seizing the girl and something something. Neither Lime nor Mint were entirely sure what to do with a girl once acquired, but that was something to worry about after the fact.

Mint, on the other hand, was descended from a wolf. It was an entirely different set of instincts that snapped into gear when he the same word spilled from his lips, "Kitty!"

In the case of both Musk warriors, it did not help that their instinctive animal responses were compounded by their confused human instincts as they set their sights on the naked redhead in front of them. The capacity for rational thought fled at the sight of her heaving bosom, and they charged forward, grabbing Neko-Ranko by the nape of her neck and dragging her off the bird-man and into the room with them. Yowling and spitting in fury, Ranko turned her attention to them, twisting in their hands and flashing her claws first at Lime and then pouncing on Mint when his companion reeled back in surprise and agony.

Kiima managed to get a good look at Ranko, while she was perched menacingly on top of Mint, and spotted the resemblance to the portrait of Fa Shen the archivist had shown Saffron earlier that evening. Confronted with the girl's behavior, the only conclusion Kiima could reach was that the Musk had driven the girl insane trying to force her become one of their animal brides. Anticipating her lord's orders, she turned to the lieutenant that had fallen into the room with her and commanded, "Get the girl!"

The bird-man nodded and turned to face the wildcat with a shudder. Misinterpreting Kiima's order, he drew his sword and charged at Ranko, who deflected the blade with slashing ki-claws. Ranko jumped up onto Lime's head to lash out a couple more times as the lieutenant tried to dodge out of the way behind the massive Musk warrior, stripping a mass of feathers from the astonished Hououjin's wings. Then, while he was reeling back in mortification, she pounced forward, springing off of that bird-man's head to rake her claws down the back of his companion, as he finally regained his feet. Coming to rest once more atop the first winged lieutenant she turned and batted Mint off to the side as he regrouped and charged forward with a brace of knives in his hands. The blades went flying, pinning Captain Kiima to one wall and scratching the arms and shoulders of Lime as he rose up behind his friend.

"Idiot! I didn't say to attack her! She must be captured and brought back with us!" Kiima declared in fury.

Ranko sat up and roared her defiance, swatting the second bird-man off his feet with a flick of her ghost paws, then batting him around on the floor ahead of her as she bounded along in pursuit. The first bird-man waited until she was across the room before jumping to his feet and racing out the door, across the sitting room, and diving out the window in a desperate escape.

Kiima shouted curses at her subordinate for abandoning her, tugging at the knives that held her pinned in place.

Lime and Mint pursued Ranko around the room, harassing her with their groping and grappling attacks but not quite distracting her from the poor creature she was tormenting. Ultimately, the bird-man's instincts saved him as he decided to play dead. As soon as he stopped struggling and fell limp, Ranko batted him a few times, seized him in her teeth and shook him, and then dropped him and turned her full attention to the more lively creatures that were hounding her.

With glee, Ranko pounced on Mint and proceeded to bat him and Lime around the room until her attention was drawn to Kiima. The captain of Saffron's guard had just pulled the last knife free and stumbled away from the wall when Ranko whipped around and crouched down. She wiggled her rear for a moment, getting her footing perfect, and then she launched herself across the room, crashing down on Kiima with a triumphant roar.

Kiima found herself in a panic, as Ranko proceeded to bat her around as her new play toy, and cried out in desperation for help from Lime and Mint. To Neko-Ranko's great annoyance, they responded fervently, pulling out all the stops as they realized how dangerous Ranko was in this odd and inexplicable state. While they kept her occupied, Kiima helped her remaining lieutenant to his feet and to the door, but that was as far as she could help him. The two henchmen finally devised a useful tactic, tag teaming the feline fury, until Ranko became angry and brought a good part of the room down on Lime and Mint in her frustration with their ducking and dodging. Satisfied that the two had been rendered unconscious, she turned and spotted Kiima at the door helping one of the bird things get away, and her eyes focused in determination.

Kiima turned back at the terrifying, long yowl, and barely dodged Ranko's initial pounce. Unable to get any distance, and having dived away from the only open exit, Kiima flapped her wings in panic, leaping and twisting to avoid Ranko for as long as possible, but once Ranko got in one good swipe of her claws, Kiima went down and had no hope of getting back up. About the only good fortune Kiima had was spotting the Chisuiiton as she was batted into a corner and wrapping herself around it before being knocked away.

Kiima remained curled up and tried to play dead, but this time when her prey went limp, Ranko did not lose interest. She bit down on Kiima's wing and dragged her out of the henchmen's quarters and through Herb's, into the bed chamber and up onto the bed. Without releasing her prey, Ranko curled up on the bed and closed her eyes.

It was many hours before Kiima dared to move, but when Ranko did not respond, she gently pried herself out of the redhead's clutches and limped out of the bed chamber. Battered, bruised and humiliated, she retreated straight to the window, unwilling to risk losing the prize she had seized in a search for the other.

It was a testament to Herb's exhaustion that she managed to sleep through the whole battle. The closest she had come to being roused from sleep was when Neko-Ranko leapt out of bed to investigate the intruders and when she returned some time later. Herb did not have a clue that anything had been amiss until she woke up in the morning and discovered that Ranko had returned to bed covered in suspiciously large, white feathers.

"Great Ancestors! What is going on?" Herb asked, brushing the feathers off her intended, and carefully pulling a few out of Ranko's mouth.

Ranko's eyes blinked open and she sat up coughing and spitting feathers out of her mouth. "Ack! Ptthff! What the...?"

Herb stared at her in surprise. "Ranko?"

"Damn, did I eat a pillow in my sleep?" Ranko asked no one in particular as she struggled out of bed.

"Ranko? Are you... okay?" Herb asked, reaching out tentatively but stopping short of touching the other girl on the shoulder.

"I'm fine," Ranko replied in mild annoyance. "I had the weirdest dream though..."

Herb sat back, staring at the redheaded girl. She seemed completely unaware of having turned into a cat, and Herb did not want to bring it up for fear that just mentioning it could cause a relapse. The origin of the giant bird feathers disturbed her on some deeper level, but her relief at seeing Ranko back to normal drowned it out for the moment. She simply followed the other girl out of the bed chamber, and watched as Ranko traced the trail of feathers through the apartment and to the door to Lime and Mint's quarters.

"Man, looks like I slept through a hell of a pillow fight," Ranko remarked, as she pushed the door open and looked into the next room. In it, Lime and Mint were sprawled unconscious in the midst of a tornado's aftermath, feathers everywhere.

"What happened in here?" Herb demanded in imperious tones.

Lime and Mint responded at once, opening their eyes and staring at Ranko in horror. "Aaaaah! Run! Flee! She's come back!" they shouted in unison, falling all over each other in their haste to retreat from the naked redhead.

Herb blinked as their reaction stunned her and made her belatedly aware of her and Ranko's state of undress. Responding to her henchmen's panic in typical fashion, she lobbed a few ki-blasts at them, grabbing Ranko by the arm and dragging her back into her own apartments. "Idiots! Luring us in there like that just to peek at our bodies!" she snarled in fury.

Ranko blinked in surprise, having fallen into a daze at the sight of the feather strewn room. "What?" she gaped.

"Staging a scene like that! Disgusting!" Herb continued to rave, snatching clothes out of a nearby armoire and throwing some at Ranko. "Get dressed!"

"Uh... shouldn't we, um... take a bath or something first?" Ranko asked, scratching her head.

Herb stopped in mid motion and sighed. Throwing the clothes in her hands over the back of a couch, she reached into the armoire for a pair of robes and then tossed one to Ranko. "You are right. It just makes me so mad when they do that! The sight of a naked breast makes them completely forget their station!" Herb fumed in angry embarrassment.

Ranko glanced down at the robe in her hand and sighed. Thinking back to the many times she had not noticed changing forms until someone pointed out her nakedness, she felt a pang of sympathy for her would be husband. "Kind of like rubbing your face in it, huh?" she asked sympathetically.

Herb stopped fretting and stared at Ranko. There was no misunderstanding what Ranko meant, but Herb found it strange to have her feelings put so perfectly into words by someone else. Herb had so little in common with other people that that she did not count on others being able to understand her that well. "Yes. That describes it adequately," Herb acknowledged softly. Slipping into her robe, she reached out and grabbed a dangling cord and pulled. A deep, echoing gong filled the air. "The bath should already be prepared. That will warn them to stay out, if they know what is good for them." She pulled the robe tight around herself and led the way to another door. Ranko fell into step behind Herb, slipping into the robe as the other girl led the way down a winding stair to the Prince's private bath. There had been a time when her loyal henchmen would have been summoned to attend to their lord in the bath, but with her curse locked it was unthinkable to call upon their serviced in that capacity any more.

Ranko studied Herb as they walked in silence, remembering all at once that Herb was originally a guy and that the curse still plagued him the way hers had plagued Ranma. With that thought, she remembered the odd conversation she had had with herself the night before. In the light of day, it did not seem possible to revert back to the oddly innocent and naive boy she had once been. Looking at Herb, and seeing the female qualities he had unwillingly absorbed she wondered if anyone could truly remain unchanged by such a curse. Following her into the bath chamber, and setting her robe aside as Herb slipped out of hers, Ranko found herself studying the other girl more intently than she had dared until now.

They knelt across from each other on a pair of stools and washed, each careful to avoid the other girl's eyes, but sneaking long looks at each other when the other was distracted. Herb was an incredibly beautiful young woman. Since her hair had been bleached out in their fight, she had become even more attractive. But, the thing that truly made her attractive to Ranko were the masculine qualities that emanated from her true character. She blinked, realizing that they were not really masculine qualities per se, but qualities that were discouraged in girls. Qualities that Ranma had been taught to believe that a girl could not have, and when he met girls with those qualities he had considered them unfeminine as a result. And he had admired them for it, but his own sense of masculinity kept him from admitting that he found it attractive.

Would you have me go back to being like that, Ranma? Ranko asked her alter ego silently.

Herb noticed that Ranko was studying her, and unconsciously posed for her. "See something you like, Ranko?" she teased, renewing her effort to entice the other girl into accepting her proposal.

Ranko's eyes bugged out at the sight, and she turned her head away in disbelief. Is that what I was like as Ranma? she asked herself in embarrassment. There was no doubt in her mind that Herb still thought of herself as a boy, but she had obviously reached the point where she was willing to exploit her form to achieve her own ends. Clearing her throat, she asked aloud, "Do you really want me to see you as a girl, Herb?"

Herb stiffened and recoiled at that. Before she could turn away, she realized that there had been a hint of warning in Ranko's voice. "Is that concern for me I hear in your voice?" she teased, trying to hold the advantage.

"Maybe," Ranko shrugged, rinsing off and rising to enter the bath. It was more like a swimming pool, in length and depth, and was heated enough to be slightly uncomfortable for swimming. At the same time, it was not hot enough for a truly relaxing soak. Ranko drifted toward the far end of the pool and turned in time to see Herb following her into the water, light glistening on her wet body, highlighting the curves of her adopted sex. "Maybe you're just bringing out the wrong part of me," Ranko finally added, laughing as Herb froze in horrified comprehension knee deep in water.

Herb glared at her and sank heavily into the pool and drifted cautiously forward. "That was low, Ranko."

"Just reminding you who you are dealing with," Ranko shrugged. If she was willing to risk it, she could switch to male form right there to reinforce her argument. The hot water would allow her to unlock her curse. Gritting her teeth she reminded herself that triggering her curse could be fatal at the moment, and buried the impulse.

Instead, she climbed out of the pool altogether, deciding that it was not very bright to even put herself in hot water until she had fully recovered. She was about to comment on that aloud when she noticed a disturbance in the curtains that hung between the supporting columns of the bath.

With eyes narrowing suspiciously, she rose to her feet and began to approach that curtain, circling around the edge of the pool on bare feet. The cause of the disturbance was exactly what Ranko suspected, but she had no idea what compelled the two idiots to risk their lord's ire.

After being awakened by the entrance of Ranko and Herb, Lime and Mint discovered the theft of the Chisuiiton. Fortunately, the other treasure was still safe, but it was their solemn duty to break the bad news to their liege. Unfortunately, while they were debating that unpleasant task, they had heard the gong warning them that Herb was entering the bath. They had wrung their hands in frustration and argued for several minutes, not knowing what to do. They did not dare delay informing their lord of the theft, but they would be punished if they intruded on the girls in the bath. They agonized over it in silence for several long minutes, before deciding that the consequences of waiting would be far worse than what usually happened to them for peeping.

With deep breaths, and quiet reassurances to each other, they made their way to the servants' entrance to the bath and slipped quietly inside. Ranko had spotted them as they slipped up to the curtains around the outer edge of the bath and carefully peeked in. Seeing that Herb was fully submerged in the water and not seeing Ranko at all, they breathed a sigh of relief, pushing through the curtain, and marched directly up to the edge of the pool, announcing their presence.

"Our Lord Price," they began in unison. "Please forgive this intrusion..."

Unfortunately, that was as far as they got before Herb turned toward them in a rage. "Out! Get out! Get out! Get OUT!" she screamed, calling up her ki and firing off a blast right at them. Unfortunately, she had stood up as she shouted and realized it only at the last second, so her aim was thrown off by her attempt to cover her bosom. The energy blast hit the edge of the bath right at the unfortunate henchmen's feet, spilling the pair of them, and the sacred treasure carefully tucked into Lime's pocket, into the pool.

"Waaah!" Lime bellowed, arms windmilling as he pitched toward the water.

"Noooo!" Mint cried in horror, hand darting into his companion's pocket with desperate speed. In spite of his quick thinking, the object he sought to prevent entering the water was tangled in the fabric of Lime's deep pocket. As one the two henchmen hit the water with a resounding clap followed by the delicate thunder of displaced water.

"What the...?" came Ranko's belated reaction, as steam began to boil off the surface of the water and then Mint rose to the surface holding the Kaisuifuu over his head. Ranko's eyes widened in horror and she jumped away from the edge of the poor in terror as she realized that the water had been enchanted with the magic to unlock her curse, and turned her head in horror to stare at Prince Herb who was trapped in the middle of the pool.

As Lime broke the surface he saw his partner holding the enchanted kettle over his head, and as one the two Musk warriors turned to stare at Herb as well. No more than a few yards away, Prince Herb stared back at them, female and open mouthed in horror as the full impact of the event caught up to her. The sudden rise in the temperature of the water was all the proof needed for her to realize that the magic of the Kaisuifuu had worked properly. Glancing down at her unaltered hands, she saw her greatest fear realized. Herb's true form had been lost, destroyed in the transformation that concluded her battle with Ranko.

With a cry that tore at Ranko's heart, Herb fled from the bath and through the door leading back to her chambers. Lime and Mint splashed and stumbled to the edge of the bath as Ranko raced around the outer edge of the pool, climbing out and chasing the naked redhead as she pursued Herb back to her chambers. Herb was dressing in haste and when Ranko arrived with Lime and Mint hot on her heels. She turned to face them for a second as they stumbled to a halt, then grabbed her boots, cloak and belt and fled from the room. When they tried to follow, she turned on them in a cold fury and declared, "Cover yourself, Ranko! You two! Do not attempt to follow me!"

"But..." Mint gasped desperately.

"My Lord Prince..." Lime begged in tones of agonized supplication.

"No! If you value your lives, you will not test me with your presence!" Herb warned her two oldest friends. They stared at her in anguish and pity, and Herb nearly lost it right there. Fortunately, she had pushed her limits throwing two ki attacks already that morning, and when she tried to call up her aura once more it burned along her bones causing her to gasp in pain. "Do as I have told you!" she hissed, gasping for breath and turning to run from her quarters.

Recognizing what her cry of pain must have meant, the two young men stood silent and let her go. It was not fear of what she might do to them that held them in place, but rather fear of what lashing out at them might do to her. Exchanging glances, they realized that there was only one person they could turn to to go after Herb and help her. Nodding in silent agreement, they turned to look at Ranko, quickly averting their eyes and picking up clothes that were strewn close at hand. With bowed heads, they extended the clothes toward Ranko and plead with her, "Please, dress quickly and go after her!"

Lime and Mint waited in strained silence as Ranko dried and dressed herself in the clothes they had handed to her. As she dressed, Ranko's mind raced furiously, trying to grasp the implications of this revelation. Remembering Cinnamon's warning about the damage the dragon prince might have suffered, she cursed, "Shit. Do you have any idea where she's gone?"

As one the two Musk warriors turned to face her. "There are many places she might go," Lime reported mournfully.

Ranko nodded. Looking once more into their eyes, she thought of all the places she might go to be alone. Glaring at the pair, she demanded, "What the hell were you two thinking, coming in there with something like that!"

The henchmen winced and Mint looked down at the Kaisuifuu, still held in his hands. "Do you remember what happened last night? The bird-woman and her friends?" he asked Ranko pointedly.

"What? I don't know what..." Ranko stopped, looked down at the feather strewn floor, and recalled a fragment of her weird dream. Swallowing hard, she asked, "Was I acting like a c... a c-c-c... damn it! A cat! Was I acting like... one of those things?"

The two young men exchanged confused glances and then nodded.

"Shit. No, I can't remember things when I'm like that," Ranko declared angrily, looking down at her hands.

"It does not matter. You attacked them and drove them off, but one of them managed to steal the Chisuiiton," Lime announced.

"And we had to inform our Lord Prince as soon as we discovered this," Mint concluded.

Ranko stared at them for a moment before nodding. Realizing that they had a good reason to keep the other sacred treasure in their possession, and a clear duty to intrude upon their prince even in the privacy of her bath. "Fine. I will try to explain that to her if I can find her. What are you two going to do?"

The pair looked down in shame. "We will tend to matters here. Just hurry and find her. Bring her home!" the smaller boy said.

Ranko nodded and finished pulling on her borrowed boots.

Mint nodded. "Where will you start looking?" he asked, following her to the door Herb had left open in her wake.

"Jusenkyo," Ranko announced without hesitation. Turning to look him in the eye, she asked, "Where else?"

He looked at her in mild surprise, and then nodded. Ranko offered him a reassuring smile. It had not taken much thought to identify the obvious solution to Herb's present problem. "If Herb can avoid the pitfalls of Jusenkyo and make her way to the right spring... Well, Taro was able to return to Jusenkyo and get a curse he wanted. My return to Jusenkyo turned out mostly the way I hoped. I mean, my reflections and I came out with the right curses, anyway, even if things didn't go exactly as planned."

Mint nodded. "In spite of some serious interference, too," he acknowledged with a sardonic smile.

Ranko smiled wryly and nodded in agreement. "There is one thing..." she pointed out, extending a finger toward the magic kettle. "Drain the bath, and keep that thing away from me and water. I'd ask you two to come along as back up, but you're no longer protected from random cursing. Fortunately, I still am."

The two henchmen took a step back, and Mint thrust the Kaisuifuu behind his back as he realized what Ranko meant. If Ranko's curse were inadvertently unlocked, the consequences could be as bad as or worse than what had already happened to Herb. Having fallen into the bath with the magic kettle, the protection they once had from the Chisuiiton had been removed, and the Chisuiiton itself was no longer in their possession.

"Oh, and I'm willing to bet that whoever stole the locking ladle will want to get their hands on that kettle too, so find Cinnamon and get her to watch over it. I can't see anyone taking it from her by force," Ranko grinned evilly.

The two young men looked at each other and then glanced around the room, "Speaking of Cinnamon, where is she? I don't think I've seen her this morning..."

Ranko blinked, and realized that she had not seen the dragon woman either. Frowning, she scratched at her head and admitted, "I have no idea. Cinnamon taught me something that might work for getting a hold of her, so I'll see if I can track her down. Until then, do not take any chances with that damn kettle! Tell Spice what's going on and hopefully he can come up with something. Otherwise, what's the point of makin' him your emperor?"

* * *

Captain Kiima winced as a servant applied salve to the last of the cuts she had gotten in her scuffle with Neko-Ranko and then excused the bird-woman. Once she was alone, she wandered over to the wide bay window looking out over the neighboring mountains. Standing in a furious silence, she debated about whether or not to reveal what she had learned during the raid on the Musk Fortress. Lord Saffron would not be pleased to learn that the damnable Musk had driven the phoenix girl insane. Glancing at the Chisuiiton laying on her bed, she snorted. If she was willing to share what she had learned, it was no longer necessary for her to risk locking herself in human form and slipping in among the amazons. Or, perhaps she was wrong. She frowned and searched her brain for the piece of information that had just teased her consciousness. After a moment, she remembered a report about an animal that the Musk Prince had cursed that had taken on the form of the drowned girl, Fa Shen. Opening her eyes, wide, Kiima asked herself if by chance that animal had formerly been a cat, as that would help explain what she had seen.

Would it not make sense to keep that creature and use her as a stand in for the true reincarnation of Fa Shen?

Kiima settled carefully on the edge of her bed and considered that. Certainly it made more sense than taking a true phoenix and driving her insane. What could possible be gained by doing such a thing? The answer was "nothing". In which case, she had more reason than ever to carry out her initial mission, or to modify it. As a woman, she was not suited to carry out an infiltration of the Musk, but one of the two lieutenants that had accompanied her on the raid had damned himself by leaving her behind in battle.

Standing, she called out for the servant, "Send for Koruma! Bring him to me!"

"Yes, Captain Kiima," a voice responded from beyond the door.

Kiima turned her attention to plotting out the mission she had in mind for her subordinate. She had most of the details worked out when a pair of guards escorted the swarthy young bird man into her presence. Turning to face him, she dismissed the guards and waited until they were alone. After giving the lieutenant a long, studied look, she announced, "I am very disappointed in your performance this morning. You are fortunate that I was able to achieve at least part of our objective in spite of your abdication of duty. You are also fortunate that I have devised an alternate way to complete the mission our Lord has been so kind as to assign to me, and you yourself are suited to undertake that mission."

Koruma stared at her and swallowed. It was well known that Lord Saffron was a fickle and unforgiving master, and that Kiima had come to reflect those qualities herself. "My Captain, I swear to you I intended only to summon reinforcements, when it became apparent that we faced an unnatural adversary," he plead his case, falling to his knees.

"Indeed, you did at least rouse such reinforcements, and they did meet me on my way back to Phoenix Mountain," Kiima acknowledged, before allowing the steel to reenter her voice. "However, I do not recall seeing you among those reinforcements, Koruma! And do not pretend that your wounds were greater than mine!"

Koruma opened his mouth, stretching his wings to show their tattered condition, but one look at her own wings caused him to subside in shame. Instead, he tried to flatter, "Please forgive me for lacking the strength and fortitude that have made you, without question, the best suited to lead us in battle."

Kiima chewed on her lip, resisting the urge to remind the man that she expected her subordinates to live up to the standard that she set, for in the world that had evolved around them, there was no room for imperfection. "Be at peace, Koruma. You will have your chance to redeem yourself."

The bird-man looked up and saw sincerity in his captain's eyes and allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"Do not think that this task will be easy, however," Kiima warned. Gesturing for the man to rise, she led him over to the window. "Initially, we were led to believe that the one our Lord seeks has been among the amazons. However, based on what we learned last night, there is reason to believe that she has fallen into the hands of the Musk, or at least that the Musk have intentions to acquire her. In order to confirm my suspicions, I am charging you to use the Naniichuan so that you may go among them and learn the truth. I myself will attempt to learn what I may by posing as one of the amazons. Go now and do what you must to be suited to your task and then report back to me so that I may secure your disguise. Consider it a part of your mission to acquire the means of lifting the lock I will place upon you to pass as human."

Koruma closed his hands on the leading edges of his wings and bowed. Fearing, as all his kind did, the loss of that which made them unique, but knowing that it was an obligation Kiima and Saffron's hand picked agents could not escape if it fell upon them. He simply rose from his bow and stepped up to the window ledge, saying, "I shall do as you command, Captain."

Kiima nodded and watched as he dove from the ledge and took wing, headed in the direction of the cursed springs. Confidant that things were once more falling back on track, she turned her attention to her own preparations. With great caution, she used the Chisuiiton to prepare a number of flasks that could be carried safely until such time that she or her agents were ready to put their disguises into effect, and them prepared several flasks of Instant Nyanniichuan for herself and the warriors she elected to take with her among the amazons. A couple of them would be quite upset to learn that they were being asked to give up more than just their wings, but there simply were not enough female warriors good enough to pass as amazons. With a shrug, she set that concern aside as she prepared herself to report to Lord Saffron as the hour of her regular morning audience approached.

It came as something of a surprise when Koruma burst in through the window in a state of unusual excitement, several hours ahead of Kiima's estimate.

"Koruma! Stop flapping around and babbling!" she commanded, as the man soared around the room for the seventh time.

Koruma pulled up short and came to a soft landing on his feet and bowed in obedience. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he held out a flask of water to preface his words, "Something extraordinary has happened, Captain Kiima!"

Kiima held out her hands and took the flask. To her surprise, the water inside was hot enough to make the supple leather feverishly warm. "What is this?" Kiima asked.

"That is water from the Naniichuan!" Koruma announced with glee. "The spring has turned into a hot spring! The curse it gives is triggered by hot water!"

Kiima stared at him, feeling instant dismay as she realized that the Chisuiiton could not possible work if this was true. Then she blinked and realized the true implications. A Hououjin cursed with such water would not be at risk of losing his wings in mid flight during a sudden rain, or from passing through a thick cloud. The one fatal flaw of becoming cursed had been lifted for the men! "Why, that is extraordinary, indeed!" Kiima declared, feeling a faint reprieve from the guilt that usually assailed her for commanding one of he men to take on the burden of such a curse. "This complicates things, but I suppose you could obtain some water-proof soap and use that to sustain your disguise... and I warn you to be careful in sharing what you have learned. The very notion of a hot water curse changes things... I suspect that it could have dangerous repercussions for us all if were to become common knowledge," Kiima warned. It had been the danger associated with a normal curse that had kept the Hououjin as a whole from adopting human disguises and venturing out into the world around them. If it became possible to gain that disguise without the normal risks, it could mean the end of their entire way of life.

Koruma nodded and excused himself, taking wing out the window he had arrived through.

Kiima carried the flask to a corner of the room, where, after pressing on a concealed latch, a secret compartment opened up that she could conceal the dangerous substance in. Returning to her desk, she sat down to make a few quick warning notes to some of her subordinates and a more detailed report for her Lord Saffron, she did not notice the diminutive form that stood stock still in the shadows behind the curtain dividing his chambers from hers.

Saffron waited until Kiima was completely absorbed in her work before retreating to his private chambers. In recent months he had been having dreams of bathing in the waters of a magic hot spring and attaining his full, adult stature as a result. To this point, the dreams had not revealed enough of the process for him to know exactly what he needed to do, but now it was clear that the dreams had been prophetic. He had anticipated the transformation of the one spring known to confer manhood upon all who were bathed in its waters. He realized the significance of Kiima's warning to Koruma, recognized the danger such a spring represented to the Hououjin way of life, but certainly he, their lord and god, was not meant to be barred from exploiting it! Certainly not at a time when there was a female phoenix loose in the world, herself on the cusp of adulthood.

Once again, Saffron cursed the fates that caused him to endure his rebirth later than was most opportune for the circumstances. It was galling to think of confronting this potential mate in his present, preadolescent form. He dreaded the opinion she might form of him, the possibility that she would never defer to him if her first impression of him was as a child. Now, he noted with glee, that was no longer a risk he was required to face. His wings might not yet suffice to carry him to where he needed to go, but there were ways around that. After checking to see that no servants were liable to intrude, Saffron went into his personal armory and retrieved the Kinjakan, carrying that to a window that overlooked one of the gentler slopes of Mount Phoenix.

Once more making sure no one was spying on him, he launched himself out the window, straddling the poled weapon like pogo-stick. The deadly, sharpened halo attached at one end served as a wheel, powered by the magic of the weapon, that served its master as an alternate form of transportation. With childlike glee, Saffron whooped in excitement as he finally escaped from the confines of his quarters and the irritation of his pampering servants.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 04 _

_Author's Note: After an utterly ridiculous delay, the fourth chapter of Reflections: Paying the Price is finally done. I'm sorry to say that my efforts to put my life back on track have fallen a bit short of what I hoped for, and time to work on writing and art has been scarce. In the interests of finding work as a graphic artist, I took a few months to blow the rust off my skills and create a portfolio of work, but to date I have not found a way to turn that into a source of income, which means I'm effectively working three jobs and barely getting paid for two of them! You can see some of what I've done on my Deviantart page if you follow the link from my ff net profile page. _

_Things are still just shaping up in this volume, but I intend to get the next chapter out without the kind of delays you've endured so far. Say, one a month at the outside. If you don't see something in that time frame, send me a note to remind me you guys are still out here, and I'll get right on it! For those of you who have stuck it out with me, I really appreciate it and hope you continue to enjoy the story that is to come._


	5. Part 05: Former Adversaries

Former Adversaries

* * *

Cinnamon had flown after Ranko's mother and friends with the greatest haste, homing in on the signatures of their trained ki and Jusenkyo curses. Without those unusual traits, gathered together in one place, the dragon would have found it all but impossible to track down a single mandarin duck winging her way from the Bayankala Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Even though Mirror could have flown the compact all the way back to Tokyo, she and the others would require rest stops along the way and Cologne was certain to take advantage of those breaks to check in with allies of her tribe. This suspicion proved true as Cinnamon picked up the auras of the group gathered in an inn in a small town on the banks of the Yellow River. The dragon glided to a landing in the sparse woods just outside of the town and reverted to human form. She considered her state of undress for a moment, before chanting a simple spell that summoned her clothes to her. The faint glow of magic faded and she pushed through the trees, making her way to the nearest road into town. By the time she had reached the road, her eyes had picked out the building where Nodoka and the others had put up for the night. Giving the sky a quick glance, Cinnamon judged that dawn was less than an hour off, and hoped that she would not come to regret the time she had spent in flight, and now wasted walking on foot.

With the stealth of ages, she slipped past the proprietor and staff of the inn, making her way to the door to Nodoka's room. To her relief, she heard the familiar voices of Nodoka and Cologne engaged in quiet conversation. Cinnamon paused to listen a moment, while her senses examined the room and confirmed the presence of Ranma's friends, sleeping soundly within.

"I have no doubt, Nodoka, that the girl promised to marry Herb if he defeated her," Cologne was saying, "simply because I cannot imagine him failing to issue such a challenge. It is all well and good to exploit our laws, but a clever suitor would leave nothing in doubt and make it a personal challenge as well. From what happened, it is pretty clear that Ranko expected to die before acknowledging defeat, so of course she would have accepted the challenge."

"I am sure you are right, Mother," Nodoka responded. "That does not explain why we are leaving her behind like this."

"Because as long as the Musk can threaten the ones she loves, Ranko does not dare to defy them," Cologne explained patiently. "It is a shame that you have no recollection of your former self. If you could call upon your own true heritage, you would be able to stand beside her and give her the support she needs."

"Is there no hope of restoring my memory, then?" Nodoka asked.

"Oh, I am certain there is, if we can only discover the means through which those memories were taken from you," Cologne confided with a faint cackle. "I have tried the remedies for all the memory manipulation and removal techniques I know if. According to legend, a phoenix often loses its memories as a consequence of rebirth, but someone has taken measures to ensure that yours would not resurface on their own."

"Ah. Well I suppose that would explain why I never even suspected the truth about myself. I can hardly believe it even now," Nodoka laughed a bit uneasily.

"Believe it, Pa Shen," Cinnamon instructed, opening the door and stepping into the room. "Ignorance of your own nature can not conceal it from me. No more than my true nature could ever be concealed from you."

Nodoka and Cologne hopped to their feet, each responding to the intrusion in instinctive alarm. "What are you doing here?" the two women asked in unison.

Cinnamon smiled an unpleasant smile. "I could say I've come to find out why you neglected to warn me that the girl knows the ancient Cat Fist," she began, her eye glinting at Cologne's indrawn gasp of horror. "Instead, I am more concerned with learning how to restore the girl's sanity," she concluded.

Cologne glanced down instantly at Akane, but she pulled herself up short and turned to look at Ryouga. "At one time, I would have said Akane is the only one who can bring her back, but with all that has happened, I honestly do not know who the girl trusts enough take comfort from. Perhaps her mother..."

"What has happened to Ranko?" Nodoka cut in, worry for her child overcoming her normal decorum.

"Do you not know? I would have expected the mere mention of the Cat Fist to have explained things," Cinnamon responded.

"I believe Akane mentioned it to me, that horrible ordeal Genma put Ranma through..." Nodoka trailed off. The very idea of her husband torturing her child like that was enough to make her grip her sword fiercely. An inch of steel flashed in the darkened room, before Cologne rested a wizened hand on Nodoka's.

"Sheathe your blade, Daughter. What's done is done, and the one you should hold accountable is still in Japan. We need to consider carefully what to do. If we were to gather the children and return, we would only be providing the Musk with potential hostages, and by now they must realize why Ranko sent you all away." Cologne resumed her seat, and gestured for Nodoka and Cinnamon to join her. Giving the sleeping youths around them a quick glance, and ensuring that none had awakened and were merely feigning sleep, she cleared her throat, "From what I have seen, it is only necessary for the girl to calm down enough to sleep in order for her to regain her senses. Given that, I suspect that the problem may have already resolved itself, but of course we cannot take that for granted."

"What do you suggest, then?" Nodoka demanded, feeling the urge to go at once to her daughter's side.

"I am afraid that I cannot allow you or the others to be lured back, but there is no reason why I can not return to deal with 'tribal matters' and entrust you with the task of returning the children to Japan," Cologne deliberated thoughtfully. "Granted, I am not the one to restore the girl to her self if she has not regained her senses on her own, but so long as she is in the state brought on by the Neko-ken the only one who is any threat to her is Ranko herself."

"In which case, you must take me to her," Nodoka turned to Cinnamon. After learning of all the abuse her child had endured while Nodoka permitted her husband to separate her from Ranma, there was no way she was going to abandon Ranko to anyone else's care if she could help it.

"Nodoka, I just told you, I can not allow you or the children to fall into the hands of the Musk. I have given my word to Ranko that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you do not come to harm!" Cologne reprimanded her adopted daughter firmly.

"Forgive me, 'Mother', but as I recall, you have done my daughter little good up until now. Having done more than enough harm myself, intentionally or no, I can not, at this point, ignore my daughter's needs for any reason," Nodoka retorted a bit hotly.

Cologne cackled, "Well, I begin to see where the child gets her fire and determination. Unfortunately, you are not the warrior you once were. If I could have restored your memory, things would be quite different. You do not need to remind me of a mother's duty to her children, but speaking as your 'mother' I must insist that you are not ready to face opponents as dangerous as the Musk. Now, for the last time, put that sword away and heed me."

With an audible grating of teeth, Nodoka returned the Saotome Honor Blade to the folds of her kimono and bowed her head in submission. In spite of that outward obedience, she cast a look at Cinnamon from the corner of her eye. The dragon met her gaze and after a moment nodded faintly.

"If you are willing to entrust Nodoka's safety to me, I believe the two of us are best suited to resolving this matter," Cinnamon proposed confidently. "The girl is recovering far more quickly than I anticipated, and within the next few days will be capable of defending herself from any physical threat, so I will not be overstretched looking after her and her mother, and her mother is the best guarantee we have of ensuring Ranko's sanity."

"Now why do I not find that reassuring, oh noble dragon?" Cologne retorted sourly, realizing that she could neither alter nor overrule Cinnamon's argument.

"Blame your ancestors, dear child! It was your grandmother who drove me to sever my ties with the tribe, as you well remember," Cinnamon smiled. Rising to her feet, she held a hand out to Nodoka. As Ranko's mother took that hand and rose to her feet, Cinnamon felt a strange thrill shoot through her body as her cursed form recognized its ultimate source. Blinking, she paused to look into Nodoka's eyes, and realized that they were physically of the same age. She ran her hand impulsively through the hair that Nodoka had let down, either to sleep or to allow Cologne to work on awakening the memory of Pa Shen.

"Um..." Nodoka pulled back in embarrassment at the intimate gesture.

"I am sorry," Cinnamon apologized at once, pulling her hand back. "I had not seen you with your hair down like this before. The sudden resemblance overcame me." Cinnamon gestured at herself, calling Nodoka's attention to the similarity in age and stature that made them appear to be twins.

"I understand. Please, give me a moment to ready myself. I will meet you out front when I am ready to go," Nodoka instructed, gathering her hair and pulling it back. With a few deft motions, she had it coiled up and pinned back in the severe bun to which she was accustomed. Turning to Cologne, she began to gather her belongings, saying, "I will call you and let you know what is going on tonight. You should be back home by then, yes?"

"I believe Mirror is rested sufficiently to make it that far if we leave right away. Here, let me help you. If you are gone before the others awake, it will be much easier to get them to cooperate. I will simply remind them that you have a return flight to make and say that you left early this morning to catch a bus to Beijing."

"Thank you, Cologne. Forgive me if I seem disobedient, but..." Nodoka fell silent and finished with a shrug.

"I understand. I am a mother after all. Do be careful, though, and do not make me regret my sentimentality," Cologne replied gruffly. With amaguriken speed, she packed Nodoka's few belongings into her knapsack and handed it to her. "Do not think for a moment that I backed down just because you had a dragon on your side. You really are the one person Ranko trusts implicitly, so my only concern was seeing to your safety for her sake!"

Nodoka smiled, nodded pleasantly, and bowed to excuse herself, "Of course, Mother. Take care of the children and have a safe journey. I will call you as promised."

Cologne nodded and coughed. With a murmured farewell, she shooed Nodoka out into the pre-dawn light and waited for her to reach the bottom of the stairwell before going around to the sleeping teens and poking the pressure points that would counter the ones that had put them all into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Out in front of the inn, Nodoka paused and turned her head side to side searching for Cinnamon. The dragon woman stepped out of the shadows gestured for Nodoka to follow her quietly. Once they had walked to the edge of the town, Cinnamon turned to Nodoka and reminded her that she would be reverting to her normal form to make the fight back to the Musk Fortress. Nodoka collected herself while the dragon explained what she must do to ride safely on her back, and then followed Cinnamon off the road, through the woods to a clearing. Making sure that there were no human eyes watching, Cinnamon dismissed her clothes with a gesture and changed shape, growing to the massive scale Nodoka had seen only once before, and waiting while the Saotome matriarch climbed up to the spot between the dragon's shoulders and where her wings sprouted from her back.

At least, Nodoka assumed that the dragon remained female when changing into animal form the way Ryouga and Mousse/Mirror did. "I've been wondering," she asked, as the dragon gathered herself to leap into the air, "do you suppose that I would change back into a phoenix if I were splashed with that unlocking water Ranko told me about?"

Cinnamon paused and twisted her head around to look at Nodoka over her shoulder. "That would depend on whether or not you mastered your curse prior to being reborn," the dragon declared, after giving the question a little thought. "As far as I know, you have been protected by the power of the Chisuiiton since your arrival in China. Why do you ask?"

Nodoka shrugged, "I wondered if changing back would help restore my memory of being Pa Shen."

Cinnamon nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if you mastered your curse, then the Kaisuifuu would have no effect on you." With a titanic shrug, the dragon looked forward, or rather up, and sprung cat-like up into the air. Once she was clear of the tree-tops, Cinnamon spread her wings and flapped a handful of quick, powerful strokes to gain altitude. Once she had achieved sufficient height and speed, she projected her thoughts into Nodoka's mind, "Hold on tight. If you need to speak to me, you will not need to shout. The wind will carry away your voice, but I will hear the thoughts behind the words. I am sorry I did not have time to catch up on what you and Cologne have been doing, but I heard you discussing your memory problem when I arrived. If your memory has been deliberately removed, I believe you would first have to recover your memory of being Pa Shen to be able to revert to your true form."

Nodoka sighed and nodded, realizing that the dragon was probably right. "I find it unlikely that I ever mastered the curse. If I had, I could have gotten a curse that turned me into a man and had a son that way, instead of waiting until Genma slipped me Togenkyo water," Nodoka disputed, thinking back on all of the things she had learned since discovering that Ranma and Ranko were the same person. Clearing her throat, she explained what she understood to the dragon, "According to you and Cologne, the reason I needed to have a son was to complete the conception of Fa Shen."

"That is correct. Your first child, Lo Shen, was sired by a human father and was thus only half phoenix. Fa Shen, on the other hand, did not have a human father," Cinnamon confirmed, going on to explain. "Lo Shen was able to tap into her phoenix heritage after being cursed to turn into a woman, and Lo Shen came to believe that Fa Shen would have become whole if she had been cursed to turn into a man. Apparently, that was what you believed, as Pa Shen, because you had encouraged Fa Shen to study the Shokei Fist and tried to convince her to get such a curse."

Nodoka nodded, realizing the dragon could not see it, and said, "So I've heard. The thing I don't understand is how you can be sure that Fa Shen was conceived parta... para..."

"Parthenogenically," the dragon supplied, glancing back over her shoulder quickly. With a throaty chuckle, the dragon answered, "The reason I know Fa Shen did not have a human father is because I know what happened to Lo Shen's father, and so did every other man alive at the time. The first time he raped you, you were utterly innocent. You had no idea what was going on. The second time he attempted to force himself on you, you... well... emasculated him."

Nodoka's eyes went wide in surprise, "I did what?"

"You burned away his manhood," Cinnamon replied more specifically. "He survived, and word of his fate spread through the Musk like wildfire. Unfortunately, that first rape had been enough to conceive Lo Shen. There were no doubts about who Lo Shen's father was, but when you became pregnant again a year later, there was not a man in China who would knowingly have slept with you, so there is little doubt that you were the sole parent of Fa Shen. No one knows what prompted her conception, but from what I know of phoenixes, one of two things is possible. If you had just reached full maturity as a phoenix, you would normally lay an egg before 'leaving the nest' but being in human form you had a daughter instead. On the other hand, if becoming human had allowed you to evolve, Fa Shen would have been conceived in order for you to be 'reborn' in your human form."

"Which is what you told me had happened the first time we talked," Nodoka reminded the dragon.

"Yes," Cinnamon acknowledged. "In my excitement at discovering you and your daughter, I may have rushed to that conclusion. If it is true, however, then you will die when Ranko fully matures, completing this evolutionary cycle."

Nodoka swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. "When will that happen, do you suppose?" she asked with false nonchalance.

"A year, maybe two," Cinnamon calculated, bleakly.

"Oh, my..." Nodoka covered her mouth and stared out over the horizon.

* * *

Ryu Kumon had made camp in the same neighboring hot springs Ranko and the others had the night before Herb and Fa Shen's duel at Jusenkyo. While soaking in one of the heated pools, after an intensive morning workout, he had spotted the winged form of Koruma descending from Mount Phoenix toward Jusenkyo. Remembering the pair of Hououjin he had seen on his arrival, he could not resist going to see what had brought another one to visit the cursed springs. With perfect stealth, and the grin that visited him every time he broke his promise about using the sealed techniques, he spied on the creature. Like the others he had seen, this one perched on a pole that emerged from one of the springs, and then dropped into the water. Unlike the previous bather, this one crawled out of the spring in a different form. The wings that Ryu had been admiring from a distance had been washed away, and Ryu nodded, remembering how the bird-woman had been trying to get cursed to turn into a human girl. Ryu's eyes narrowed as the shock on the stranger's face registered. His actions had been too deliberate for Ryu to think the bird-man had not known what he was doing, so the curse itself could not be what shocked him. Ryu watched as the new made man carefully made his way through the springs toward the guide's hut. It was obvious he knew what he was doing when he headed straight for the rain barrel to splash cold, uncursed water over his head. Ryu frowned as the wings promptly reappeared, noticing for the first time the clawed hands and feet that were part of the creature's true form.

"I thought these curses were all reversed by hot water," Ryu murmured to himself.

"Is true, Mr. Customer," the Guide responded from less than two meters away, making Ryu jump in shock.

"How do you keep sneaking up on me like that?" the young martial artist shouted, causing the stocky, older man to wave his hands vigorously and make shushing noises. "Where the hell did you come from?" Ryu asked irritably, but in softer tones.

"You are funny guy! I am standing here for very long time!" the Guide laughed, trying to keep his voice down. Then, with gestures and poses to illustrate, he explained, "I stop, wait under this tree when I hear Hououjin wing flapping in distance. You sneak up, like panty thief, so so sneaky, you not even notice me, you so sneaky!"

Ryu shook his head and dropped out of the Umisenken, demanding, "How in the world did you even see me?"

The Guide just laughed and grabbed his arm, "Hououjin leaving now. This very bad sign. Very bad."

"What? And why did cold water change him back, if curses are supposed to be activated in cold water and reversed in hot?" Ryu pressed, slipping out of the older man's grasp. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the winged man flew back toward the towering mountain that Guide had identified as the home of the Hououjin.

"That true for normal curse, but that spring become hot spring after Prince Herb of Musk fight Fa Shen here one week ago," the Guide explained, before leaning in with an ominous look. "Before, I tell you about Shokei Fist and how Musk eradicate old masters and use springs to create new Shokei Fist, yes? I also tell you how Hououjin use springs to take human form and spy on enemies. Is very bad Musk and Hououjin visit spring so close together. Very bad. Now, Hououjin know Nanniichuan give curse that is not triggered by cold water or rain."

"So?" Ryu asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Before, Hououjin not want curse, not want lose wings by accident while flying, see?" the Guide elaborated. "Now, bird-men have no fear, can all come visit Jusenkyo, gain human form and walk among men. Very dangerous people, Hououjin. For long time, keep to selves, no make trouble. Now, everything change."

"What do you think they'll do? I mean, so they can turn into men now, I don't see how that makes them a threat," Ryu objected.

"You wait, you see. Very bad times to come. Magic of springs very dangerous, when just one person cursed. When many many people together become cursed, strange, terrible things happen. I tell you, you leave this place if you wise!" the Guide warned in dire tones. Shaking his head, he started marching down the slope towards his hut on the edge of the springs.

Ryu fell into step beside him, "I don't see you in any hurry to leave."

"Jusenkyo Guide have sacred duty. You different from other visitors to Jusenkyo. Maybe you have what it take to become Guide," the older man contemplated aloud, turning his head to take in the boy who was walking along the path beside him. "Not many come to spring, take time to hear tragic stories, learn of danger, before becoming victim of Jusenkyo spring."

Ryu shrugged and then shook his head, "No. I am only here to learn the secrets of the Shokei Fist. From what you've said, I know that the person I am looking for is here. Once I have found this Fa Shen and asked him to teach me its secrets, I plan to return home and rebuild my family's dojo."

"Her," the Guide corrected, absently.

"What?" Ryu stopped and laid a hand on the guide's shoulder.

"I say, 'her'," the other man turned to reply, "Fa Shen is woman. You remember, I tell you about girl who drowned in Nyanniichuan and get reborn as boy. He come to Jusenkyo, fall in Nyanniichuan. Is okay. Is not only tragic, tragic story, is very confusing now too!" The Guide laughed impishly. "You remember, Hououjin last night find out Nyanniichuan no longer cursed. That because boy who fall in spring have same soul as girl who first drown in spring. She also cursed by mirror created using Chuanshontsuniichuan, split into three, then, all three cured by amazon antidote for Togenkyo water responsible for making girl reborn as boy. They say, Fa Shen accidentally turned into boy using Instant Nanniichuan and water from Chisuiiton, that is why she come fight Prince Herb to get Kaisuifuu so she can change back into girl."

"Okay, stop. You made your point. My head hurts just listening to all of that!" Ryu complained, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Just remember, to be true master of Shokei Fist, you must remain close to Jusenkyo. Cursed springs are essential to any kind of Shokei Fist, maybe you think, what kind of animal you want spend rest of life as. That way, if you no can learn true Shokei Fist, you at least have curse you can live with," the Guide counseled with a sad shake of his head. "Is too bad, you so set on learning. You first good choice for apprentice to visit in long time. On good side, first Jusenkyo Guide trained by last true master of Shokei Fist, so maybe if there is new master then no longer is need for mere guide, no?"

"Uh, I guess I didn't think about that," Ryu frowned, falling once more into step behind the older man as he resumed walking toward the hut at the bottom of the hill. The more he learned about the ancient art and the cursed springs, the more complicated everything seemed to get. He certainly had not given sufficient thought to the sacrifices he might have to make to master the lost art. From what he had heard, it was not really a lost art, since the person identified as the key to mastering it had turned out to be a resurrected victim of the springs. If what he suspected was true, then once more he was in the position of trying to inherit an art that already had an heir. "Damn!" he cursed under his breath.

In his distraction, Ryu did not notice that they had reached the hut until the Guide invited him in for breakfast. Seeing no reason to object, he agreed and offered to help. Through the meal and for some time after, Ryu continued to contemplate his plan, trying to decide whether or not to continue with his quest or quit while he remained uncursed. Although the Guide assured him that he would be able to help Ryu select a specific spring, and thus a curse that would be both tolerable and beneficial for a student of the Shokei Fist, the random stories of other curse victims that he heard as the Guide wandered off onto tangents made him increasingly wary.

In fact, he had begun to truly respect the danger of the springs, so when he noticed a kid riding on some sort of bizarre unicycle toward the springs, he jumped up and ran towards the boy with the intention of stopping him from entering the ancient training grounds. Shouting as he raced forward, he quickly caught the boy's attention, but Ryu was so focused on stopping him that he did not notice the tiny pair of wings that graced his shoulders under his billowing cloak. As their paths converged at the edge of the springs, Ryu called out.

"Hey, kid! Wait! This place is dangerous! You shouldn't be playing around here!" Ryu declared, coming to a stop between Lord Saffron and his goal.

The boy looked up at him and hopped off the strange contraption he had been riding. Flipping it over in his hands, he grasped the Kinjakan threateningly and laughed. "Am I mistaken, or do you honestly dare to stand between me and my goal?"

Ryu took in the elaborate tailoring of the child's outfit and sighed in annoyance, "Oh, great! One of the native nuts! Give me a break, kid, haven't your parents warned you not to come here?"

"I have no time for fools! Stand aside!" Saffron growled.

"Don't you realize where you are?" Ryu demanded in disbelief as the kid tried to march past him. In response to Ryu's effort to grab his arm and stop him, Saffron blocked Ryu's hand away with the staff of the Kinjakan. "Hey!" he growled, attempting to seize the staff and jerk it out of the kid's hands.

"Idiot!" Saffron snarled, bracing his feet and spun the staff around, once Ryu had a good grip, and dragging the larger boy off his feet. Saffron continued to whirl around a few times to build up momentum, and then snapped the Kinjakan around toward the cursed springs, flinging Ryu off into the air.

"What the...?" Ryu cried as he flew away. Then he saw the first spring pass beneath him and he twisted in mid air searching desperately for a pole to land upon before he plummeted into the water. Fortunately, his experience with fighting Ranma had encouraged him to devote some time to learning aerial combat, so he found a safe perch with a minimum of panic. Pivoting on one foot, he turned to see where the kid had gone and was not surprised to see him marching straight for the springs. The look of determination on the boy's face sparked a moment of consideration. Was it possible he did not face a boy at all, but rather a victim of one of the springs intent upon a cure?

Seeing the boy pause to glare at him, he quickly threw up his hands. "Wait! I wasn't picking a fight with you! I was simply trying to warn you about the springs! Just... tell me you know what you're doing and I won't interfere!"

The boy stopped, considering. After a moment, he seemed to reach a decision. "My purpose here is none of your business! If, however, you are sincere and promise not to interfere, then I will say this. One of these springs has the power to restore my manhood, and I will allow no one to prevent me from reaching it!"

Ryu lowered his hands and nodded. "In that case, I believe I know which spring you are looking for," he announced.

The boy gave him a surprised look. His eyes immediately clouded with suspicion. "What makes you think I'd trust you to direct me to the right spring?"

Ryu rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "Hey, if you would rather make a wild guess, be my guest! From what I hear, nobody ever listens to the Guide, so why should I expect you to listen to me?"

"Fine then," the boy challenged in imperious resignation, "which spring do you suggest?"

Ryu considered the boy's attitude and sighed. Turning to look over his shoulder, and making adjustments for the different point of view, he pointed out the spring the bird-man had used. "Do you see that one over there, with the steam rising off of it? That's the Nanniichuan. But I should warn you, it won't do you any good if the form you have now was created by one of these springs."

"Interesting. I did not intend to leave a witness to my transformation, but it appears that you have indeed shown me the correct spring. As a reward, I suppose I ought to let you live," the boy declared with obvious reluctance. With one arm, he swung the Kinjakan behind his back. "Unfortunately, I can not allow you to spread tales of my presence here!" With no other warning, Saffron snapped the staff around, sending the deadly halo at its tip flying toward Ryu.

Ryu realized that the disc flying toward him was razor sharp, and aimed at the pole he stood upon. With a shout of anger, he launched himself from the pole, "You little brat! You plan to curse me after I tried to help you?" He landed on another pole and scowled furiously at the boy as the Kinjakan cut through the pole he had been standing on. To his shock, the disc seemed to turn and head straight for the pole he had retreated to. With haste, he gathered himself to leap again, but the disc cut through the bamboo while he was springing, causing the support to collapse under him and throw him off course. "Oh, shit!" he cried as he plummeted face first into the cold, cruel hands of an unnamed spring.

Saffron held out the staff, to catch the disc as it raced back, and laughed mercilessly as the older boy sank out of sight. Making a mental note to remember what crawled out of the spring so he could tell Kiima what creature to use her new toy on, Saffron headed into the pool riddled valley toward the hot water Nanniichuan. In hind sight, he realized he should have slipped into her quarters and retrieved the Chisuiiton. It would have been easier to silence the stranger if he had, but how could he have anticipated encountering a witness who would behave in such a manner that Saffron would be compelled to spare his life?

Fortunately for Ryu, there was a bit of distance between the Huniichuan and the Nanniichuan, so Saffron was fully distracted carefully navigating the narrow strips of embankment between the dangerous springs while Ryu clawed his way back to the surface and came to grips with the new dimensions of his cursed form. The first thing he saw was the sign posted next to the spring, identifying it. The next thing he looked at told him that "clawed" had been the right way to describe his desperate escape from the spring. The stripes on the back of his paws, which he stared at for a moment in disbelief, told him everything else he needed to know. He had been turned into a tiger!

With feline grace, he padded along the narrow path between springs, headed away from the psychotic boy that had cursed him. Once he reached safe ground, Ryu turned to glare at his new nemesis, determined to see what Saffron looked like in his new form before retreating to the hot springs. With some surprise, he noticed that the kid had a pair of wings growing out of his back, as he removed the cloak that had hidden them before. As the kid jumped into the hot water, Ryu allowed himself a rumble of amusement at the titanic wedgie the little brat was about to get when his body expanded to adult proportions while encased in pants suddenly twelve sizes too small. As expected, Saffron broke the surface with a wail of shock and minced his way to the edge of the spring.

Deciding that it was time to go, Ryu took one last look at the adult face of little brat, and then loped into the woods, taking an indirect route back to the hot springs and his sparse encampment. As he prowled through the woods, he made a metal note to ask the Guide to dredge the spring he had fallen into to retrieve his pants. The clothes he had been wearing had been ripped or kicked off as he struggled to escape from their entanglement, so all of his money, his ID, passport and traveling papers had been left behind in the spring. He imagined he must look odd with his torn, tattered shirt stretched awkwardly over his present form, but he had no idea how to get it off by himself. The only good thing about his visit to Jusenkyo was that he had already devoted some thought to how he would cope with having a curse. With the sealed techniques of the Umisenken, he would be able to remove his clothes quickly if he had any forewarning of being splashed with cold water. He would have to learn some form of hidden weapon or spatial displacement technique if he did not want to lose his clothes and other belongings with every change. First, however, he was committed to learning the Shokei Fist, which meant he would have to track down this Fa Shen he had heard about as soon as possible.

Soon enough, he had reached the hot springs and jumped in. "Well, that was not what I had in mind when I woke up this morning!" he said as soon as he had regained his humanity. "Still, it could be worse. I could have been cursed to turn into a pig or a duck or some other useless animal. Being a tiger sounds pretty cool to me!"

* * *

High in the mountains, through the first month of spring, the mornings were still bitterly cold. Ranko stopped and hugged herself as a sudden wind cut through the layers of silk clothing and the cloak she had borrowed from Herb's wardrobe. In the past, she had instinctively compensated for the more rapid dissipation of heat her smaller, female form was prone to by using her ki to generate more warmth. As a victim of a Jusenkyo curse, she had greater tolerance for the cold, but that did not mean she enjoyed it. Increasing her pace to raise her body temperature, Ranko thought of the other thing she really missed using her ki for, the ability to cover ground in great leaps and bounds. At least while descending the slopes of the mountain where the Musk Fortress towered, she had made good speed leaping down from ledge to ledge, from cliff to tree, and from tree branch to tree branch. Once on level ground, she pushed herself as hard as she thought she could, but by underestimating the speed of her recovery she was holding back far more than she needed to. Which meant that she was covering ground only at the pace of a well trained marathon runner.

At the rate she was going, she expected to reach Jusenkyo by mid morning. She had to laugh, remembering what it had been like traveling with Genma. Except when they were fleeing from unpaid bills, the victims of Genma's petty thefts and swindling, or when they were honestly engaged in genuine training, it could take days to cover the distance Ranko could on her own in hours.

The thought lifted her spirits and allowed her to draw upon her ki a bit more for a boost of energy. It was difficult to sustain those high spirits when her mind flashed back to the reason for her swift pursuit. From the look of it, Herb had blazed the trail that Ranko was following, and in her disturbed mental state the dragon princess was not restraining herself at all.

If anything, Herb was pushing her limits dangerously in mindless haste to regain what had been stripped from her. Ranko sprinted along down a path of broken branches and shattered stones. The latter spoke of a fury that Ranko was not eager to face, for Herb's sake as well as her own.

"Damn you, Herb!" she gasped, dodging between the branches of listing trees. "Stop and think about what you're doing!" she urged in vain, speaking aloud to focus the thoughts that she was desperately trying to project at the dragon princess. Her lack of success caused her to curse herself for not taking Cinnamon's claim that she had psychic potential seriously. Ranko had not even tried to project her thoughts since first awakening in Herb's bed, and now she was too emotionally worked up to achieve the state of mind necessary to repeat her initial success.

Eventually, she just gave up on trying to contact Herb or Cinnamon that way. Even with the absorption of Fa Shen, resolving a problem by talking was still not her strong suit. One thing Ranma and Fa Shen had deeply in common was their preference for action over words. When the marks from Herb's passage began to suggest that the dragonling was attempting to take flight, pushing herself to make greater and greater leaps, Ranko bit her lip and began to push harder. Ignoring the stabs of pain wrapped in pleasure, she increased the flow of ki through her body, launching herself into the air with each step trying to match the fifty and hundred meter strides Herb had made as she pushed herself to the limit.

The exertion made her whole being ache in a way that fell short of agony only by virtue of the ecstatic overtones of the open circuit. Hurting like she did was not unusual, given the extremes her training had regularly pushed her to. It was the familiar burn of refinement and growth, and not the gut wrenching twist of injury or over extension, so Ranko pushed herself on. She would pay for it later, but knowing that Herb was almost certainly going to be in worse shape when she caught up to the other girl she did not expect Herb to be able to put up much of a fight. Lime and Mint would be following in her wake, so there was no need to worry about exhausting herself in her haste to stop Herb from possibly killing herself. Because of the damage Herb had suffered in his battle with Ranko, 'his' true form had been destroyed in his last transformation. Until Herb fully recovered, another such transformation, even from a new curse, could very well be fatal, Ranko feared.

Her single minded determination made her completely oblivious to anything but the trail she was following, so she did not even notice when she came hurtling down and launched herself back into the air off the head of a young man who had stumbled upon Herb's path and stood contemplating it. Driven face first into the dirt, he rose up with a bellow of anger, and fixed his angry eyes on the retreating form of his "attacker". Spotting the trademark red pigtail, and recognizing the feminine form of Ranma, the young man cursed, "Femboy!" and pulled the stopper out of the water bottle he always carried.

Blinking water out of his eyes, and shaking his minotaur head, Pantsuto Taro spread his wings and launched himself in pursuit with a deep throated, coughing laugh. He was not in the least surprised that "Ranma" was making a beeline straight to Jusenkyo, but past experience made him consider the possibility that if Ranma was present, than his annoying friends might be in the vicinity as well. Instead of quickly closing the distance between him and his despised foe, he climbed to an altitude from which he could observe the surrounding countryside for signs of Ranma's friends. By the time he had completed a thorough examination of the region, "Ranma" had disappeared into the woods girding the nearest edge of the springs.

Oblivious to her brush with her old enemy, Ranko stood in the shade of the trees trying to recover her breath while examining the site where Herb had landed. Wishing she could estimate the time that had passed since Herb broke through the trees, Ranko followed bruised leaves and crushed grass to a path that let down to the embankment closest to the Nanniichuan. Clearly, Herb had taken the most direct route possible, but there was no sign of the snow-tressed princess anywhere. Biting her lip, Ranko carefully made her way through the springs, dreading what she might discover in the spring her would-be husband had sought out.

In no time, she stood on the edge of the Nanniichuan and stared into its clear depths. If her worst fear had been realized, and becoming cursed literally destroyed Herb, there ought to at least be a wad of clothing to mark her passage. Instead, the pool contained nothing more than rocks, sand and water that was fatal to her at the moment. Not wanting to linger, Ranko carefully backed away, turning and making her way carefully across the narrow strips of earth between the springs toward the Jusenkyo Guide's hut. If Herb had not entered the spring, or if she had had second thoughts, there was a chance she might have consulted with the Guide. Considering that fact that the water had still been steaming when Ranko examined it, it was possible that Herb had realized that entering the pool would result in gaining a curse identical to the one she had had before. If she had given the matter any thought, she would have preferred to get her hands on normal Nanniichuan water so that cold water, so much more common, would grant Herb her true form. "That's what I would have done... or what I did, actually, as Ranma," Ranko noted to herself with a nod.

As she reached the opposite edge of the springs, she looked up and found the silhouette of a man standing just inside the entrance of the hut facing the familiar, stocky form of the Guide. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ranko sprinted to the door and poked her head inside, "Herb! You're still a..." Ranko's voice cut off in shock as the man she was addressing turned around to stare at her.

"Ranma!" Ryu shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"Ryu Kumon!" Ranko shouted at the same time, head whipping side to side in search of Herb. "Have you seen a girl, about this tall, long white hair? Uh, or a guy, same hair, a little taller than you?" she demanded, pushing through her shock at seeing the boy who once assumed the identity of Ranma Saotome and came between her and her mother.

"You know that girl?" Ryu asked in surprise, grabbing her by the arm. "You knew she was trying to curse herself to turn into a man?" he stressed, tightening his grip and shaking.

"What happened to her?" Ranko demanded desperately, breaking out of Ryu's grip.

"Is tragic, tragic story," the voice of the Guide broke in solemnly.

In horror, Ranko turned to stare at him. "Oh, no! Don't tell me she..."

"She come at very bad time," the Guide cut her off, determined to get the story out his way. Ranko bit her tongue, realizing that he would not explain what had happened any quicker if she tried to beat it out of him. "Strange girl. Remind me of someone, but that not important! She show up right when Hououjin visiting spring for new hot Nanniichuan curse. He already have curse, but clothes no longer fit, so he standing there naked when she show up. She very surprised at first, then throw cloak at him, get very angry and shout to man saying to cover himself, and asking him what kind of animal he is when he just stare back at her. This woman, very short tempered, she march forward, throw something at man and shout like to drive frightened animal away and man get very angry. They fight. Woman is very skilled, like amazon, but not look like any amazon I know. But she seem very weak, and collapse when man attack with flying weapon. Whole fight on far side of spring, so I no get very good look, but weapon remind me of legendary Kinjakan of Hououjin Lord Saffron!"

Ranko blinked and shook her head. She had heard that name before, but she could not remember where at the moment. She pushed it aside to focus on what was important, "What happened? What did this man do to her?"

"I no hear what they say, barely can make out shouting, so I only know that he follow to where she fall, get ready to give killing blow but he stop. She say something to him, and he shake head. He just stand there staring at her for long time, then he knock her on head and take her away. He carry her back to Phoenix Mountain," the Guide explained in mournful tones.

Ranko allowed that to sink in and then sighed. Not that the idea that someone had kidnapped Princess Herb thrilled her, but at least the jerk had kept her from going into the Nanniichuan and getting herself killed. Only after completing that thought did the name of the place she was taken catch her attention. "Wait, did you say Phoenix Mountain?" she asked, as that name joined the other name echoing through her mind. Saffron. Phoenix Mountain. Why did those names ring a bell with her? The second one seemed obvious. After what she had learned, she could not ignore anything that was associated with phoenixes. Frowning, she realized that there was one more reference she missed. How could she not have reacted to hearing the Guide mention the "Phoenix-people"?

All at once her eyes grew wide. "Saffron!" she shouted, staring at the Guide once more. "Are you saying that Prince Herb of the Musk has been abducted by Lord Saffron of the Hououjin?"

The Guide stared at her open mouthed and then nodded, "You become much better listener, since first visit, Mr. Customer! Is correct! Aiyaa, but you say girl with white hair, she is actually Prince Herb of Musk! Oh, this very, very terrible news! This is for causing war and chaos! Is almost five hundred year since one great tribe commit such act against another!"

"You're not serious," Ranko drawled sarcastically, putting one hand on her hips and pointing at herself with the other, "Just last week, Prince Herb was here trying to force an amazon princess to marry him! Remember! These guys are always pullin' this crap on each other! Five hundred years! Right!"

"Uh, excuse me," Ryu called her attention to himself, meeting her fierce look with a chagrined smirk. "Did I just hear you call yourself an 'amazon princess'?"

Ranko looked him up and down and then rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here again?" she asked, side stepping the question. Then she remembered where 'here' was and her eyes turned suspicious. Grabbing her water flask and pulling the stopper out, she stepped toward him and muttered, "Oh, you had better not have..."

"Whoa, wait! What do you think you're going to do with that?" Ryu backpedaled in haste, putting the Guide between them and eying the water flask in fear.

"Shit! You did get cursed!" Ranko cried in disbelief. "You knew about the curses! You can't be here by accident! What crazy scheme are you up to now?"

"Hold on! This doesn't really have anything to do with you!" Ryu tried to stop the accusation he sensed coming. "Yes, I learned about this place from you and your friends, but I didn't come here to get cursed. At least, that was not my original intention. I was here researching a lost art, and only learned when I got here that it was for those who had been cursed."

Ranko blinked and took a step back. "But, the only art I know of for people who have been cursed is the Shokei Fist."

"You know about that?" Ryu asked in surprise, then hit himself on the head. "Right. You've been cursed, so you would naturally come here for the same reason."

"And now you're cursed," Ranko pointed out. "Idiot! What do you turn into?"

"That's for me to know, thanks. I learned enough from you to know what a weakness my curse can be," Ryu asserted warily.

"Fine then. I just want to make sure you understand that I am not to blame for this! I am sick of everyone trying to blame me for getting cursed or for whatever else has gone wrong in their life," Ranko declared.

"Oh no, he know who responsible for giving him curse," the Guide cut in helpfully. "He is cursed by same one that abduct Prince of Musk. Saffron be very surprised when he learn that woman is really man!" The Guide laughed for a moment until he noticed the odd look that Ranko was giving him. "What you look like that for?"

"Prince Herb doesn't turn into a man anymore," she informed him bleakly. "His true form was destroyed in our battle." Ranko quickly explained how Herb had been injured in the battle, and how his true form had been destroyed by the last transformation he had endured as Ranko's friends locked his curse. "He came here to get a Nanniichuan curse, but... I feared that the damage was not fully healed... that it would have killed him to jump in that spring. Saffron did her a favor by dragging her away from here, but now... I guess I'm gonna have to go and rescue her from him." The sheer irony of that made her shake her head in disbelief.

Ryu stood there in utter disbelief. "You can't possibly have that much power! You only barely beat me the last time we fought! And what's with you acting so girly, Saotome? Don't you have to commit seppuku if your mother finds you less than a man among men? And here you are pretending to be an 'amazon princess' and dressing like a girl, and claiming to have awesome spiritual powers! What's next? You gonna put on a fuku and start fighting in the name of love and justice?" he asked, a condescending smirk growing across his face.

Ranko winced at each verbal blow, but at the end of it she turned a withering glare on the boy. "Are you trying to insult me, Ryu?" she asked in fierce, icy tones, oblivious as the temperature of the hut plummeted. "That's not very manly, is it 'Ranma'? Oh, wait! That's right, you're really a worthless nobody with no prospects and less ingenuity. Please, do keep acting like it!"

Ryu's color deepened as fury gripped his soul, but the chill in the air, the cutting tones of her voice, and the perfect calm with which she melted into the stanceless guard stopped him. Ranma had always been an insulting bastard, in Ryu's opinion, but the contempt she flung at him now was unexpected. His eyes widened in shock as it struck him that this time she was being a real bitch. "What the hell has happened to you, Saotome?" he asked in faint horror. Was this the fate of those who became cursed? Would he eventually become so warped by the curse he had just received.

"You don't want to know, Ryu. You don't ever want to know," she advised him, letting her soul of ice gradually thaw. Dismissing him from her concerns, she turned and stepped out into the mid-morning sun to think. Herb was now a captive of her... nephew... and the ruler of yet another tribe of psychotic locals. Cinnamon had not told her much about the Hououjin, beyond the fact that they worshiped Saffron like some sort of god because he was descended from a phoenix. "Well, at least I outrank him in that respect," Ranko told herself as she drifted away from the hut.

While Ranko pondered what to do and waited for Lime and Mint to catch up to her, Ryu turned to the Guide and tried to remember what they had been talking about when they were interrupted. Snapping his fingers, he turned to the Guide, "Right, I was just about to ask you, where do I find this Fa Shen who knows the secret of the Shokei Fist?"

The Guide just stared at him for a moment, "That funny! You seem to know Mr. Customer so well, I no think of mentioning it."

"What?" Ryu prompted, wishing that the Guide had a less confusing way of expressing himself. "Oh, Ranma. Yeah, we've met. What I want to know is, where do I find that girl, Fa Shen?"

The Guide blinked, and pointed out the door, "That what I just say. That girl you just talk to, that is Fa Shen. Reborn as boy, come to Jusenkyo and get cursed as girl. Girl wakes up and comes back to Jusenkyo, I tell you whole story."

Ryu turned and stared out the door at Ranko, turned back to stare at the Guide, then once more turned to look at Ranko. "No way. That can't be possible. You have to be kidding me!" he cried, grabbing the Guide by the shirt.

"Jusenkyo Guide never lie! Is bad for business, and probably get self killed!" the Guide protested feverishly, wishing that for once a guest did not turn into a violent maniac and try to attack him at one point or other.

"No. Not again! This can't be happening again!" Ryu shouted, stomping out of the hut and following Ranko. It just was not fair. Once again, his search for a way to rebuild his family's dojo and reputation had led him to the same person. What made him, or rather her, so special? Why was she the one handed everything that Ryu so desperately needed? "Dammit, Ranma! Wait! We're not done here! Tell me it's not true!"

Realizing that she was being pursued, Ranko turned and saw Ryu running toward her. "Great, just what I need," she sighed, dropping into a defensive stance and calling up her ki to see if she was in any condition to fight. She was surprised to find that she could bear the strain as her ki swelled up, but something told her that she was close to her limit. "What is it now, Ryu?" she asked when the boy came to a stop in front of her.

"Tell me you are not Fa Shen," he demanded without preamble.

The surprise showed on her face, "How do you know that name?"

"That doesn't matter! Is it true or not?" he insisted, looking almost desperate.

Ranko shrugged. "I go by Ranko now, but yes, I was once Fa Shen, the girl who drowned in the Nyanniichuan," she confessed, giving him a puzzled look. He did not seem to have any intention of attacking her, and her answer seemed to cause him to deflate. "What is your problem, Ryu? I'm in the middle of some serious shit, here, and I don't have time to be getting into fights with you!"

"What?" the boy asked, in genuine surprise.

With a heavy sigh, Ranko quickly summed up the situation she had gotten into since her encounter with the Mirror of Broken Souls. Even abridged, it was a long, complicated tale, and several parts had to be reiterated before Ryu understood the situation Ranko was in.

"Holy shit! You are in a lot of trouble," Ryu acknowledged when she was finished.

"You don't know the half of it," a voice announced from the tree line.

Turning in alarm, Ranko and Ryu brought up their guards as Pantsuto Taro stepped out of the woods and sneered at them.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryu demanded, giving the older boy a critical look.

"Pantyhose Taro!" Ranko hissed, wanting to curse. "What are you doing here?"

"I live around here, remember?" Taro grinned menacingly. "The question ought to be, 'What are you doing here?' but I just heard the whole thing, Femboy. I gotta say, 's pretty damn funny hearing you say you're really a girl after all that 'man among men' bullshit you kept whining about!"

"Fine. Who cares? Have a good laugh! It doesn't really matter to anyone what you think anyway, you Panty Pervert!" Ranko snarled, unable to endure Taro's contempt without responding in kind. As far as she was concerned, he was the worst sort of man, the kind that had no respect for anyone but himself. The kind of man who made someone like Genma seem mostly harmless.

"Feh. You are so pathetic. If I didn't know how much I am going to enjoy putting you in your place, I wouldn't even bother with you," Taro drawled, resting a hand on the water bottle hung at his hip. The one, true drawback of his curse was that in his other form he could not deliver these cutting insults he so enjoyed making.

"You're not going to suffer that kind of talk, are you?" Ryu demanded, wondering why Ranko just stood there.

Ranko glared, wanting to tear Taro's smug face off, but knowing that the longer he stood there blathering and blowing, the more time she had to gather her resources. He would fight in human form, but the instant things turned in her favor, he would pull out all the stops and switch over to his cursed form. Instead of responding to the last insult, she grabbed Ryu by the arm. "Cool it, Ryu. This isn't your average bully. Taro here is much more than he seems," she warned.

"Cursed?" Ryu asked, taking the hint.

"And how," Ranko nodded, giving him the short version of Taro's history, knowing that he would allow it as long as she skipped over the humiliation of his naming by Happosai. "He was bathed in the Niuhoomanmaorenniichuan when he was born and turns into, well, you'll get to see it soon enough," she said, with a bitter laugh.

"The what-niichuan?" Ryu asked, giving her an odd look.

"Don't ask," Ranko sighed. "It's big, it's bad, and if you ask me, it's this bastard's true form."

"Hey, you're the one that proves that a curse can actually reveal one's true form. Seems I can't call you Femboy anymore either," Taro observed with insincere thoughfullness. He rubbed his jaw for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I got it! And it fits you perfectly... Bitch!"

Ranko stiffened, and Ryu almost pulled out of her grip, responding to the malice with instinctive hatred.

"Yep. That's perfect. I have to wonder if dear old 'Grampa Happosai' knows you've gone girly through and through?" Taro continued digging his barbs in. "Either way, you are his weak spot. Oh, this is going to take some major sacrifices on my part, but... with a little effort, I think you could be the perfect solution to all my problems."

Ranko did not like the sound of that. "Just what, exactly, has that warped mind of yours thought up now?" she demanded.

"Well, I do believe the Americans have a phrase for it. Now, what was it again...?" Taro eyed her in a way that made Ranko's blood run cold. Taro smiled an ugly smile and licked his lips, saying, "Oh, yeah! I'm going to 'make you my bitch!'"

Ryu jerked his arm out of Ranko's hand and stepped between them. "That's it! That just crossed the line," Ryu declared, to Ranko's utter surprise.

Taro just laughed and faded back a few steps, loosening his muscles for the fight.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 05_

_Author's Note: I'm happy to present the fifth chapter of Reflections: Paying the Price with a mimimum of delay. I do hope this twist comes as a pleasant surprise to you, dear readers! I'm sorry I couldn't get right into the fight with Taro, but these chapters are long enough to start with! So, here we are, Ranko and Ryu face off against the infamous Pantsuto Taro, Princess Herb has been abducted by Lord Saffron, and Cinnamon and Nodoka are about to fly right into the middle of it without a clue! Where can things go from here? _

_As before, I intend to get the next chapter out without any extreme delays. I am hoping to keep it between one to two weeks between chapters, no more than a month if things get iffy for me again. If you don't see something in that time frame, send me a note to remind me you guys are still out here, and I'll get right on it! Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter, you have yourselves to think for encouraging me to get this chapter out as quickly as possible. Now all you need to do is donate a few thousand dollars apeice to the AV Morgan Starvation Relief Fund and I am sure things will continue to go quite smoothly! Just kidding! This is fanfiction, kiddos, so if you want to show your appreciation, I suppose you have to visit my deviantart site and fall in love with my artwork! End shameless plug._


	6. Part 06: Rain Storm

Rain Storm

* * *

Ranko chewed her lip in frustration. As Ranma or Fa Shen, it was unthinkable to walk away from a challenge, but Ranko was painfully conscious of her recent injury and the limits it placed on her fighting ability. Her crimson hair danced in the faint morning breeze, causing her to squint to keep the ends out of her eyes. From the instant Taro showed up, a fight had been inevitable. After the words they had exchanged, a fight was unavoidable. Unfortunately, Ranko considered herself responsible for the situation Herb was now in, and fighting Taro was not going to help her help Herb. Not that helping Herb ultimately helped her, since she would still be bound by her promise to marry the dragon prince—assuming he regained his manhood.

Glancing to the side, Ranko considered her erstwhile ally. As soon as he jerked his arm out of her hand and stepped forward to challenge Taro, the chances of Ranko avoiding this fight had diminished to virtually nil. Grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to drag him away from Taro, she declared firmly, "Forget it, Ryu. He's not worth it and I don't have time for this right now!"

"What? Are you nuts?" Ryu snapped, giving her an outraged look.

"Oh, isn't this just precious? A lovers' spat!" Taro sneered, holding back to see if the two really did get into an argument and planning to use it to his own advantage.

"Give it a rest, Taro," Ranko warned the older boy with a glare. Speaking to Ryu but keeping her eyes on Taro, Ranko reminded, "I need to follow Saffron before he does anything to Herb. I thought you might want to come along, since you owe that guy for getting you cursed, Ryu. Do you really want to waste any more time on this jerk?"

Ryu could not help glancing at Ranko, or noticing that every fiber of her being was ready for the fight she was urging him to walk away from. Ranma, he recalled, could not walk away from a fight. Recalling her recap of recent events, he reminded himself that she had claimed to be injured in a recent fight with Herb. Nodding to himself, he concluded that she was forcing herself to retreat. "Don't worry, Ranko. You go on ahead. I can take care of this loud mouth," he proposed, bringing up his guard.

"Big mistake, Loverboy!" Taro shouted with a menacing laugh. While Ranko and Ryu were gabbing, Taro had surreptitiously loosened the cap and ties to the water flask hung at his hip. With one graceful motion, he flung a face full of water at Ryu and launched himself into the air to stomp down on whatever pathetic form the curse revealed.

"Ryu!" Ranko cried, launching herself up to meet Taro in mid air. Beneath her, Ryu barely flinched, blinking as the water ran into his eyes and dripped from his face. Ranko's shock at seeing Ryu unchanged by water cost her a vital second as Taro snapped out a cross-counter kick, slamming the flat of his foot into her jaw and sending her crashing to the ground.

"Don't move!" Ryu shouted into Taro's face as the older boy dropped out of the air in front of him. In the instant that Taro's attention was seized by the commanding voice, Ryu swept both arms out to clear Taro's defenses and kicked him hard in the chest. Connecting solidly with Taro's solar plexus, Ryu heard the satisfying sound of air rushing form his opponent's lungs, and followed through. "Dokuja Tanketsu Shou!" he barked, jabbing a hard fingered fan-fist into Taro's ribs right over his heart.

Taro gasped in agony, stumbling back from the crushing opening blows of the Yamasenken.

Ranko brought up her guard, having rolled to her feet while Ryu struck. "Damn, Ryu..." she began, rubbing her jaw.

"Sorry, Ranko," Ryu blushed, remembering too late that he had promised to abandon the sealed techniques. "Habit."

"Not that. Don't hold back against Taro!" Ranko quickly held up her hands, granting him unstated permission to use the Yamasenken and Umisenken. Waving her hands, presentationally, at him, she elaborated, "I thought you were cursed!"

"Nasty..." Taro coughed and gasped before continuing, while rising to his feet, "nasty... trick... Ranko... Makin' me... believe that!" Wiping his mouth, Taro glared at the couple before him, more resolved than ever to beat them into submission.

Ryu smiled an unpleasant smile. "Unlike some people, I came to Jusenkyo prepared," he boasted. With a careless shrug, he turned to Ranko, "Not that it saved me from getting cursed, but at least I brought some waterproof soap along to protect myself from people who would try to use that curse against me!"

Taro stared at Ryu for a moment, and then laughed. "Must be one pathetic curse, if you've gone to that much trouble to hide it!"

Ranko closed her mouth and wiped the surprise off her face. "You know that stuff isn't reliable, don't you?" she tested.

Ryu shrugged, "I've heard that, but it seems to be working fine right now."

Ranko shook her head and gestured at Taro, "Look out for..."

Taro had gathered a fist full of dirt as he rose to his feet, and flung the dust into Ryu's face as he charged in for another attack. "Boot to the head!" he yelled, in mockery of his opponent's named attacks, following the blinding attack with a round house kick that caught Ryu on the left cheekbone.

As Ryu was knocked off his feet, spinning away to the right, Ranko leapt through the space he had just vacated to drive a knee into Taro's face. Before she could spring back completely out of his reach, Taro snagged her ankle and whipped her around, slamming her into Ryu just as he was getting back on his feet. Shifting his weight to absorb the blow, Ryu closed his arms around Ranko and tried to jerk her out of Taro's grasp.

"Watch the hands, Jerk!" Ranko wailed, as one of Ryu's arms came over her shoulder, hand planted firmly on one breast, while the other arm came up between her legs to lock the other hand on her hip.

Ryu blushed and shrugged, paying more attention to the way Taro adjusted his grip on Ranko's ankle. Holding Ranko tight, Ryu flipped forward, twisting her out of Taro's hands and then tossing her out of range. "Sorry, Ranko! It was my hands or his!"

Ranko growled, flipping in mid air to land on her feet. She landed with the springs just to her right, and took a moment to sigh in relief that she was protected from all but one of the springs at Jusenkyo, and the Nanniichuan was on the far side of the valley from where Taro had confronted them. "Hey, Taro! Unless you wanna see what new things you can add to your curse, you better think twice about continuing to fight us here," Ranko called out tauntingly. "Ryu and I are both protected, but you..."

"Eh?" Taro could not help but glance in her direction and take notice of how close they were to the springs. If he was in his cursed form, there were very few springs that he feared would diminish his beast form, but if he fell in as a man, there was no telling what the ultimate effect would be. There was always a possibility that a new curse would completely replace the curse he was given at birth. Even in cursed form, a complete submersion might be enough to cost him the form he took so much pride in.

The thoughts took less than a heartbeat to pass through his mind, but it was enough of a distraction for Ryu to step in and hammer him with another attack. "Haku Dato Shin Shou!" Ryu cried the name of the rapid finger-strike of the Umisenken. The force of the blows penetrated through the older boy's body, stunning him long enough for Ryu to add a double fisted hammer blow that sent Taro flying back. "Heh. That was almost too easy!"

"Don't get cocky, Ryu!" Ranko warned.

Ryu and Ranko charged forward as their opponent crashed down a body length from the nearest spring, a few down the line from where Ranko had been thrown. Taro pushed himself up on hands and knees and glared at them. Lurching to his feet with a roar, he met their combined attack with a flurry of whirling kicks and blows, trying to beat his way through their defenses and keeping them too busy to set up for any of their special attacks.

"Rrrrraaaahhh!" In his initial charge, Taro was able to drive Ryu back to the edge of the pool, knocking the lighter boy into the cursed spring with a reverse kick. While Ryu spluttered to the surface and struggled to climb out of the spring, proving that he was indeed protected by the unreliable waterproof soap, Taro focused on Ranko. "Your boyfriend sure ain't much!"

Ranko could not ignore the taunt. "He's not my boyfriend! Would ya get off that already?"

"Yeah, right. Whatever, eunuch-girl," Taro deflected condescendingly. As in their first encounter, Taro's height gave him an incredible reach advantage over Ranko, allowing him to keep her out of range. Conscious of her current weakness, Ranko was forced to devote most of her attention to dodging and weaving to avoid Taro's powerful punches and kicks. "What's with all the dodging, Saotome? Forget how to fight? Don't have the balls for it anymore?"

Ranko growled, dropping into the splits right between his feet and shooting an uppercut straight into his groin. "Now who's dodging, asshole?" she demanded as Taro evaded her punch with haste, leaping back with both hands covering his crotch.

"You bitch! What have you got against manhood, anyway?" he demanded in a near shriek.

"Bastard," Ranko grumbled under her breath, before responding. "Threaten to rape me and you think you deserve to be called a man? Huh?"

"Leave him to me, Ranko," Ryu cut in, storming past her, gently nudging her out of his way.

"Well, looks like your boyfriend's got some balls, at least! Come and get me, hot shot!" Taro taunted, with a come-along gesture and a condescending wink at Ranko. "Oh, shit!" He soon found himself forced to bob and weave frantically when Ryu rushed in, flinging cursed water off of himself with every sharp movement. Taro remained on the defensive until he was able to lure Ryu over some loose earth, at which point Taro cut loose with his namesake weapon. Taro began by kicking up the dirt, enveloping Ryu in a cloud of thick dust. The parched dust quickly soaked up most of the cursed water, neutralizing its magic properties, Taro hoped. While the younger boy was blinking dirt out of his eyes, Taro unwound a few pairs of nylons from around his waist. "Man, you're pathetic!"

"You plan to fight me with pantyhose? What a perv!" Ryu retorted, wiping his face and shaking the caked earth off his hands and shirt. As soon as he was close enough, Ryu went on the offensive, pressing Taro back with aggressive punches. Ryu was at the peak of his ability, but he had never fought Taro and fell prey to the older boy's use of pantyhose as an entangling attack. Wrapping the clingy material around Ryu's arm, as it extended in a punch, Taro was able to jerk Ryu forward and off balance. Twisting his arm up behind his back, tangling the rest of the pantyhose around the younger boy's neck, Taro kneed Ryu in the small of his back.

"You hang with her and call me a perv? Huh?" Taro demanded, stepping around and delivering the next knee to Ryu's bound face. Unwinding some more pantyhose, and preparing to hog tie Ryu, he shook his head. "So what's the attraction, huh? You like the idea of sticking it to her, knowing she's really a boy, eh? Does that turn you on, tough guy?"

"Speak for yourself, sicko!" Ranko shouted, hand-springing over Taro's head, grasping his shirt at the shoulders and dragging him into an overhead throw as her feet came to earth.

Taro laughed, twisting in the air to come down facing her. "You still don't get it, do you Saotome?" Giving a tug on the nylon binding Ryu, he pulled the other boy up as a shield between himself and Ranko. "You've only proved my point! You're just like me. Your curse brought out the real you! Oh, how you fought it, denied it, but I was right! You're a fucking freak, Ranma! Admit it!"

"So I really am a girl? So what? So are half the people on the planet! Why do you keep goin' on like it's some big insult?" she shouted, half in anger and half in disgust.

"Insult? Not at all, Saotome. It's a joke! A sick, perverted joke and here's the punchline! I can hardly stop laughing!" Taro spat, hoisting Ryu up by his bound arm, wrenching his shoulder almost out of the socket. "This dumb bastard fell for it! Jumping to your defense like you were a real girl! Maybe I oughta just put the poor jerk out of his misery, huh?"

"Let him go, Taro!" Ranko launched herself at her opponent, literally perching on Ryu's shoulder to aim her kick right into Taro's face. Taro, determined to keep his head on his shoulders, was forced to let go and retreat from Ryu as Ranko pressed through with a series of roundhouse kicks and punches delivered in rapid sequence.

Ryu wasted no time untangling himself from the nylon, and followed, ready to back her up when Taro sidestepped her final kick—wrapping her head in nylon and jerking her off her feet. With great precision, Ryu separated them with a deadly vacuum blade. "Kijin Raishu Dan!"

"Whoa!" Taro flung himself away from Ranko, purely on instinct, as Ranko heard the shout and tried to throw Taro into the attack. Pushing off of Ranko's shoulder as she rolled him over it, he got a good look at the Demon God Bomb attack that sliced through the pantyhose stretched taut between his fist and her neck, freeing Ranko from his stranglehold. He responded at once by whipping a weighted stocking at Ryu, forcing him to abort his next Kijin Raishu Dan to avoid a blow to his temple.

Allowing his momentum to carry him forward, Taro closed with Ryu using a combination of kicks and nylon whip-lashes. Ryu continued to launch the vacuum blades, snapping them out as fast as the older boy could weight a new stocking and whip it out at him. Only at the last second did Ryu realize that the whip attacks he cut down were just distractions. Taro had been loading both toes of each pair of panty hose but lashing out with only one leg of each in preparation for a major entangling attack. A dozen nylons whipped around Ryu as Taro lashed out with his real attack, binding Ryu's arms to his sides. Taro twisted his hand into the elastic bindings and pounded his opponent with the other fist as Ryu stumbled blind and off balance.

Ryu tucked his chin and did his best to shrug off the blows, while trying to kick free of Taro's grasp.

As soon as she had managed to untangle herself from her own bonds, Ranko was back on her feet. She jumped to Ryu's defense, raining blows down on Taro's exposed back and sides. She finished with a double tap to his kidneys, dropping down into a spinning leg sweep, knocking Taro off his feet and most importantly bringing his head down to the level of her feet as she continued to spin, catching him on the jaw with a speeding heel.

Taro tumbled away, losing his grip on Ryu's bonds but rolling to his feet with his guard up.

Ranko, with her natural speed advantage, was able to close in, dancing around Taro's strikes until she was close enough to deliver a telling kick or punch before bouncing out of reach. Her rapid fire attacks kept Taro's attention focused on her, buying time for Ryu to regroup. Physically, Ranko did not have the power to put Taro down for the count and she did not want to risk crippling herself to take him out with a ki attack. That meant it was up to Ryu to finish this fight, Ranko acknowledged regretfully.

Taro was of a significantly different opinion. While it was true that Ranko's blows were lighter, individually, than they would be if she were male, they actually did more damage due to the speed, accuracy and focused area of impact. Ryu, nowhere near as fast, could only get in an occasional combo-strike without Ranko creating openings for him—but either way, there was a limit to how long Taro could stand and trade blows with them in human form before they did enough damage to incapacitate him.

Before that happened, Taro had to shed his humanity. His water flask had been virtually drained, wasted trying to expose Ryu's curse. The only reason he still had it was because it had become a habit to secure the flask at the first opportunity. He felt the flask bouncing at his hip, heard the sloshing of water, and scowled. Even if there was enough to trigger his curse, Ranko was quick enough to knock it out of his hands before he could use it.

"Time to finish this." Taro tried to bull his way closer to the Jusenkyo Guide's hut, but Ranko doubled her efforts, concentrating on turning him off course. With support from Ryu, she was able to succeed. Twisting and weaving around Taro's attacks, she slipped inside his guard, making quick strikes at pressure points and nudging his wrists, knees, elbows and ankles to redirect his movements.

"Where do ya think you're goin', Taro?" she challenged as Taro struggled to slip past her.

"As if you don't know!" Taro growled, reminding himself that the one advantage a girl normally enjoyed against male opponents did not count against him. Of course, Taro had not exactly been holding back, but if he wanted to win this fight it was time to get completely ruthless. Taro had had enough time to study Ranko, to learn to anticipate and intercept her lightning punches and kicks. Putting that to use, he concentrated on where she had to be to land her strikes. The instant she committed he lashed out at those points, meeting her as she closed and hammering her with rapid knee and elbow strikes.

The blows caught her by surprise, stunning her and leaving her open for another blow, and another.

"Got you! Your ass is mine now, Bitch!" Taro pressed his advantage with a thick, menacing laugh, hammering on Ranko until she collapsed to one knee.

"D-dammit!" Cursing herself for giving him time to figure out how to engage her in close quarters, Ranko tried to leap away, but he caught her by the ankle and brought her crashing to the ground. Ranko scrambled to get back to her feet, to assume a stance that would enable her to evade or at least soak up the damage.

"Ranko!" Ryu tried to come to Ranko's rescue, but Taro had anticipated that and maneuvered to keep Ranko between them. He used her as a shield, catching her off guard, maneuvering her into Ryu's blows, keeping her disoriented and off balance and waiting for her to make a move. The only way Ranko could compensate for Taro's reach advantage was by extending her whole body in a kick.

When she did, Taro sidestepped the kick, seized Ranko by the ankle again, and whipped her around, as if for an Olympic hammer throw, and released her directly at Ryu. When the boy dropped his guard to catch Ranko, Taro launched himself forward to deliver a flying double kick over Ranko and straight to Ryu's face. Combined with the impact of Ranko's body, Ryu ended up embedded in a trench of soft earth.

"Down, Boy! I'll deal with you soon enough!" Turning on his heel, and grinding down on Ryu's face, Taro turned to catch Ranko trying to peel away from Ryu's chest. With a malicious grin, and a shout of triumph, he kicked her solidly in the ribs just as she was rising to her hands and knees.

Ranko rode the momentum back, rolling to her knees and trying to rise to her feet before Taro closed the distance. She was barely able to put her arms up to block the follow up kick. That was followed by a rising kick to the midsection, and the only thing Ranko could do was tense muscles of her abdomen. Lifted into the air, Ranko was able to stretch her legs and land standing.

Taro refused to let up, however. Skating in close again, he resumed beating on Ranko until her arms were battered numb. Taro kept an eye on Ryu, struggling to climb back to his feet. Ranko tried to strike out while he was distracted, but he caught her arm in a lock. Then, holding her up by the trapped arm, he hammered her in the face until her legs went limp.

When they did, it was not for the reason Taro suspected.

As the pain of her beating mounted, Ranko had panicked, fearing the activation of her chi-curse, and tapped into the power of the circuit. The erotically charged ki hit her like an orgasm, washing through her and rendering her almost senseless as all of her cuts and bruises sang with pleasure. As before, when she had been fighting Herb, Ranko did not notice that the surge of ki went to work healing her injuries. Between the pain and the pleasure, it was all Ranko could do to keep from fainting. There was nothing she could do to oppose Taro.

Taro continued to pound on Ranko, as she fell to her knees and then sprawled out on her back. For a moment, Taro was a one man stampede, kicking and stomping, and all Ranko could do was curl up to protect her face and abdomen. In a detached corner of her mind, she realized that she was insanely aroused, so much so that she feared what would happen if this beating was followed, as promised, by rape. Before her mind could turn down that dark path, Ranko was given a glimpse of hope.

Taro caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and swept his hand behind him, intercepting Ryu's foot before it could kick him in the back. Jerking his hand up and forward, he dragged Ryu into the aerial splits and held him in that precarious position while he resumed stomping on Ranko. Ryu dove to the side, twisting his ankle out of Taro's hand and then rolling clear.

Ranko clung to the realization that Ryu still stood, still fought, even though her torment continued.

"Bastard!" Ryu raged, raining blows on Taro's back and flanks, knowing that he was inflicting serious damage on the older boy, knowing that Taro was going to be pissing blood for weeks after several repeated kidney blows, and knowing that his opponent had absorbed that punishment in order to literally crush Ranko under his heel.

"Enough!" Ryu seized Taro by the collar and belt and hauled him away from Ranko. Tripping Taro and driving his face into the sandy dirt with a knee in his back, Ryu spat, "What kind of disgusting animal are you?"

Taro winced and then laughed his heavy, slow, mocking laugh. As a man, he had reached his limits. That was the price of having his revenge on Ranma. Not that it meant that the fight was over. Glancing up he confirmed that he only needed to stall for a little longer. "That's funny... I'm still wondering the same about you," Taro taunted, twisting his head to glance back into Ryu's scowling face. "Come on, Loverboy! What do you turn into? A cute little piggy? A fuzzy little kitty cat? A sniveling little rat, perhaps!"

Ryu grabbed him by the back of the neck and pounded Taro's face into the ground a few times, "You think you're going to live long enough to find out? Huh?"

"Of course! You pathetic martial artists are all the same! You're neurotic little senses of honor won't allow you to kill a helpless prisoner, eh? You got the upper hand, Loverboy! Guess I have no choice but to surrender... and then you can't do nothin' to me!" Taro laughed as Ryu ground his face into the dirt, and then laughed even harder when the other boy let go and pushed away.

Taro rolled onto his back and glared up at Ryu. "What's a matter? Don't you want to claim your moral victory?"

"No. You have mistaken me for someone who possesses enough honor to defend," Ryu commented indifferently, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Looking down at Taro, Ryu felt the world shift around him. In his quest to restore the honor of his house, the legacy of his family school, he had considered himself to be ruthless. Here, now, he had seen the true face of ruthlessness. He saw the contempt that filled his adversary and knew why Taro had come so close to winning. Ryu looked at what he might become if he allowed himself to be provoked by this foe, and he had to take a moment to consider the price. "The honor of my clan lies in ash and ruin, but I have you to thank for showing me what it is to be a true bastard!"

Taro pushed up to one knee and spit sand and dust out of his mouth. Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he nodded, "So that's how it is." Putting one hand on the water flask still dangling at his hip, he pulled it free, weighed it in his hand and then pulled the stopper. "Just enough," he commented, before raising the flask. Before Ryu could charge forward, Taro held up a hand. "You know that none of the water here in the valley is safe. The only cold water that is safe for me to use around here is that rain barrel next to the guide's hut," he stated meaningfully. Bringing the flask to his lips, and tipping it back, he arrogantly drank the last of the water, shaking the upended flask to show that it was dry when he was done. "You're pretty good. Good enough to stop me from taking her—if you're good enough to keep me from getting to that water," Taro observed casually, before looking up and smiling. "But how are you going to stop the rain?"

When Ryu looked up and saw the massed clouds, and smelled the taint of rain on the air, Taro laughed and charged forward. Well before he could reach Ryu, a blazing streak of crimson tackled him and drove him right to the edge of a spring. Ranko had recovered almost instantly, once Ryu had interrupted the ruthless beating, and a fury unlike anything she had ever felt had gripped her. As she crashed into Taro, she began hitting him. Fast punches, quickly accelerating to amaguriken speed, the effect of something close to five hundred punches creating the illusion of a comet crashing into the older boy and driving him to the brink of an anonymous cursed spring.

"What the...?" Taro recovered from his shock at her attack just in time to kick off from the edge of the spring, arching back into a flip and landing on one of the poles sticking up out of the water.

"Ranko?" Ryu stared in disbelief as the redhead launched herself toward Taro without hesitating. "Hey!"

Taro was too stunned at seeing Ranko moving to dodge her kick. Instead, he braced himself on the the pole and caught her foot and cradled it to his chest. "There's no way you got up from that beating!"

Ranko, body held rigid in the posture of a flying kick, glared into Taro's eyes, "Didn't anyone tell you, Taro? I'm immortal!" she declared with cold, cutting intensity. Twisting her body around the axis of her trapped leg, she delivered a kick reinforced by as much ki as Ranma had ever thrown into a kick. Taro went flying off sideways, spinning lengthwise and endwise through the air as the rain finally broke. The initial spatter was quickly followed by a blinding curtain of water.

Ryu stood at the edge of the springs, too stunned by the sight of Ranko in seemingly perfect health to have fully registered her words. It was only as he watched her come out of her spin and right herself in mid air that he realized that she had said something totally unbelievable. For perfectly understandable reasons, he turned to watch their foe fly away through the air. He stared in disbelief as the rain transformed Taro into something Ryu's mind struggled to define, before any of the springs could claim him. He was tentatively labeling Taro's new form a "minotaur" when its tentacles shot out and latched onto several poles. The poles bent under the strain of supporting the massive body, but proved strong enough to keep Taro from being dunked into the spring he had been headed for. With a great effort, the monster used its tentacles to maneuver itself onto the bank of the spring.

"Damn," Ranko cursed under her breath as Taro stared up at her from a dozen springs away.

"Ranko?" Ryu turned and stared at her, blinking in the rain. "What the hell is going on?"

Ranko glanced down at him, but found her gaze focused on the flames that danced over the bare skin of her arms. It was ki. Her ki was burning in the visible spectrum. It did not hurt. In fact, now that she had called on it, it was like she had worked the kinks out of her whole body, only more so. Returning her gaze to Taro, and noticing the way the monster's muscles were bunching, she finally replied, "This fight is about to get brutal."

* * *

The girl on the bed had been awake for several minutes, pretending to remain unconscious while she strained her senses to sort out the unfamiliar environment she had found herself in. The phoenix lord was content to sit in his chair and ignore her ruse as he continued studying her, trying to understand why he had not simply killed her. She had certainly offered sufficient insult to justify her execution, but Saffon had found himself unable to slay her. It seemed like an absurd thought, but the best he could come up with was that he had found her attractive, compelling. She certainly possessed sufficient beauty, with her exotic white hair and taut, lean figure. Since it had been several lifetimes since he had felt anything more for a woman than indifferent arousal, he found it rather annoying to find himself wanting a woman when his interest, his intentions, were to woo another phoenix.

The object of his scrutiny had made use of the time she was given to sort herself out. Herb could not complain about the quality of the bed she had found herself in, but the body she was trapped in at present was more sensitive to scents. Her nose had told her she was in a stranger's bed before she had become fully alert. Her other senses had informed her that she was alone in a palatial suite with a man. A glimpse through narrowly slitted eyes had identified him as the man she had confronted at Jusenkyo. Fortunately, he had managed to clothe himself since then. If he had intended to force himself on her, she doubted he would have bothered to get dressed. Considering the last thing she could remember, she did find it odd to have awakened at all.

Herb had been certain she was being killed when the man struck the blow that had rendered her his captive. Remembering her body's betrayal at their initial meeting, she almost wished he had killed her. The traitorous flush of arousal that had hit her when she confronted the stranger in his naked glory frightened and humiliated Herb. It was hardly surprising that she had lost her temper, projecting her feelings onto him, seeing the same aggravating desire that painted the faces of her henchmen.

Now, in the shame of her defeat, she confronted herself with the blunt truth. What she had felt had been arousal. She had previously only felt it after discovering her true feelings for Ranko, so there was no mistaking her body's reaction. The problem was that it was completely irrational. At least Ranko was a girl, a beautiful young woman. Becoming female had not made Herb any less interested in females, and until now it had not made Herb the slightest bit interested in males.

But there was one other thing that had happened recently. Having just discovered that she had lost her manhood permanently, Herb found this sudden attraction to a man to be both terrifying and ominous. Was it a sign that Herb had lost more than the form she had been born to? Was it a warning that what had happened to Ranko was going to happen to Herb? After all, becoming permanently female had been a catalyst in turning Ranma, the self-professed man-among-men, into Ranko.

On the other hand, the resurrection of Fa Shen and the revelation of Ranma's true sex at conception had also been required, along with the prospect of having a reflection of Ranma assume his identity, to allow Ranko to assume her new identity.

Pushing those troubling thoughts aside, Herb focused on the situation at hand. A quick internal assessment revealed that she was at a low ebb, spiritually. Her mad rush to Jusenkyo had depleted her ki reserves, and while she had not injured herself anew, the seared ki channels had constricted the flow of vital energy to a trickle. In a word, Herb was helpless. Helpless, female, and alone in a bedroom with a strange man, Herb could not help tensing as a flood of nightmarish scenarios flooded into her mind. The sudden rigidity of her body spoiled her ruse of unconsciousness, forcing Herb to bite her lip and open her eyes.

"Are you awake now?" Saffron asked her as soon as her gaze focused on him. He waited as she sat up and made a show of examining her surroundings. The sheet Saffron had pulled over her, after stripping her down to her silk shirt and pants, slipped down to into her lap. It reminded Saffron of the temptation he had felt as he removed her cloak, boots and outer robes. Even though he had resisted the urge to see and touch her body, he could not help undressing her in his mind.

"Where am I?" Herb decided to ask the obvious first question.

"I was expecting you to ask me who I am," Saffron contested, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have your ignorance of my identity to thank for your life, you know. While ignorance is generally not sufficient excuse for impertinence, I suppose it would be in poor taste to hold an outsider responsible when ignorance is unavoidable. I myself would not normally have presented anyone with an opportunity to speak to me as you did. But I do wonder, what were you doing at Jusenkyo?"

Herb blinked, taking in the regal air and tone of her host. There were very few individuals in the region of Jusenkyo who had legitimate claim to a station equal to or greater than her own. There was no question that her host was some kind of royalty, and that meant this man was probably a hereditary enemy. That realization made her glad that his first question had not been about her own identity. The last thing she wanted was to inform him that she was Prince Herb of the Musk. To cover her reflection, she muttered a response, looking down at her hands as they twisted the sheet in her lap.

"What was that?" Saffron prompted, leaning closer.

"I said, 'It was a fool's errand'." Herb struggled to keep the glare that went with her response hidden behind her bangs. Biting her lip, she reminded herself to curb her imperious impulses. Her safety, oddly enough, relied upon her being precisely what she had become, a helpless, anonymous girl. Realizing that her captor was expecting more of an explanation for her presence at Jusenkyo, she improvised, "I know a man who was cursed. I came to Jusenkyo hoping to find a way to restore him to normal."

Saffron nodded. Given what he knew of curses and how they worked, he could understand why she had called it a fool's errand. The heated Nanniichuan was of no use to a man with a normal curse.

While that was the reason Herb had not been able to cure herself after her duel with Fa Shen, the real reason she had called it a fool's errand was because she had finally realized what Ranko had grasped instantly. If Herb had entered the spring with her wounded ki, she probably would not have survived the transformation. Thus, she was actually in her captor's debt.

"From your initial reaction to seeing me in the nude, I presume you are an amazon?" Saffron prompted, drawing Herb's attention back to himself. When she did look up at him in mild surprise, he challenged, "I was expecting you to lunge at me as soon as you woke and claim me for your husband. So, if you are an amazon, you must already be married, and from what you just told me, I assume that your husband is the one you were seeking a cure for?"

Herb could follow the man's line of thought, and recognized the opportunity he was unwittingly giving her to disguise her true identity. "You seem to have it all figured out," Herb conceded. Adapting the truth to suit his misconception, she elaborated, "I am spoken for. The man I spoke of would have to regain his manhood in order to consummate any union. I would not consider another man for a husband while there is any hope of his restoration."

"That is fortunate, for I would have no choice but to dispose of you if you attempted to impose upon me," Saffron threatened, rising to his feet and pacing to the foot of the bed. From there, he continued to study his guest. "I am Saffron, Lord of Phoenix Mountain, and thus I am a law unto myself. Even though it has been generations since an amazon has been in my presence, I do not doubt you have heard the stories and would not have dared to defy me as you did, had you recognized me. I can see that you do recognize my name."

Herb had gone as pale as her hair at Saffron's introduction. The legends about Saffron, as told by the Musk, were not pleasant. When the Musk had refused to recognize the phoenix bloodline founded by Lo Shen's father, Saffron had declared eternal war upon the empire, defying the emperor by declaring his own divinity. An entire kingdom had gathered at the feet of this self proclaimed demigod, and over the next thousand years prosecuted Saffron's war upon the Musk. Between that, and conflicts with other tribes, and the eastern dynasties, the Musk had all but been wiped out. The Musk had been forced to disperse, emigrating to other regions and countries, evolving into a multinational corporate empire.

"Ironically, our meeting is somewhat fortuitous," Saffron announced, paying little heed to Herb's lingering shock. He expected it to deepen with his next statement. "In exchange for ignoring the insult you have offered me, and thus sparing your life, I ask only that you confirm the rumor of Fa Shen's resurrection."

In spite of herself, Herb did get wide eyed at that. She wanted to curse herself for not considering what might happen if the Hououjin discovered what had happened. While the amazons did not know Fa Shen's true heritage, Saffron was her nephew and had been raised by the man who had claimed a phoenix for his bride. There was no doubt what Saffron's interest in Ranko had to be, and he was asking Herb to betray Ranko to him.

"I already know that the Nyanniichuan's curse has been lifted, so perhaps what I am really asking is if you've seen Fa Shen yourself, and if you know her whereabouts," Saffron clarified, when Herb remained silent.

Herb chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do. Saffron had the resources to learn all that he desired, so this audience could in fact be a test. Attempting to deceive Saffron could very well be a fatal move, but there was no way she was going to deliver Ranko to this mortal enemy without a fight. Unfortunately, she was not up to a fight. Her present abilities were just sufficient to pose as a typical amazon warrior maiden. She was more than a match for any mortal adversary, but it would be some time, she feared, before she would be a match for Saffron. At the moment, the only entity Herb knew of who could stand up to Saffron would be Cinnamon.

Herb considered that. As long as Cinnamon was willing to act as Ranko's champion, the girl was somewhat safe. If Saffron had spies among the amazons, then Saffron would already know, or would soon learn, that Fa Shen had become Ranko, and that Ranko was challenged by "Prince Herb" of the Musk. That intelligence would result in the one thing Herb would have done anything to prevent, bringing the Musk to Saffron's attention. Given that there had been little conflict between the Hououjin and the Musk in the past few hundred years, Saffron probably believed that the Musk had been wiped out—as the amazons had believed until Herb's quest to find the Kaisuifuu had forced him to visit Cologne.

"Woman, I will not wait forever for an answer," Saffron growled, as Herb's contemplation dragged on.

Herb swallowed and reminded herself that her life was on the line. Not knowing what to do, and knowing that Ranko's story was about as twisted and confusing as any she had ever heard, she decided to play Scheherazade. "My Lord Saffron, forgive me for my shock and confusion. I assure you I will answer your questions, but I warn you that there is far more to this tale than you know to ask. Perhaps, if it amuses you, I could tell you the true story of Fa Shen's resurrection, as I have been entrusted with more of it than any maiden and most of the elders," Herb began, bowing from the waist, since she could not offer more obesience sitting in bed.

"You claim to know such?" Saffron challenged.

"My Lord Saffron, I have borne personal witness to several parts of Her story, and have learned the rest from Her personally," Herb assured with great sincerity.

"Very well, then. Enlighten me," Saffron commanded.

Herb nodded and licked her lips. "As you wish. This story begins with a young man and his father..."

* * *

Nodoka had lapsed into quiet contemplation of her fate, and renewed concern for her daughter, as Cinnamon flew back to the Musk Fortress. The idea that she and Ranko were potentially the same being was too weird and disturbing for her to completely cope with. For one thing, the irony of the situation, if it pertained, was perfectly ridiculous. In effect, Nodoka's relentless insistence upon Ranma becoming a man-among-men would have resulted in Nodoka herself becoming the complete opposite of herself upon her death. Ranma's transformation into Ranko had mostly eliminated that possibility, but it did not make the possibility of being absorbed into Ranko any more pleasant to contemplate. Nodoka could not imagine how a person could avoid interfering in her child's life if she knew from the start that the child was someone she would eventually become. She had been gnawing on her lip in trepidation from the moment she recognized that as a good reason for her to have deliberately sacrificed her memories of her previous life. It was one way to have guaranteed that she did not ultimately destroy herself in the process of "evolving" as Cinnamon had put it.

Whatever the truth was, the situation Nodoka found herself in made it easier to empathize with her daughter, giving them both more common ground. They both had to face the loss of their humanity and the threat of losing their own identities. Nodoka did not know if Ranko had given any thought to being an offshoot of her mother, but she would certainly be confronted once more with an obligation to be Ranma. The fusion of Ranma, Fa Shen and Ranko had undone all of the resolutions Nodoka had made concerning the fate of her child. While divided, Nodoka had not had to lose the son she had devoted so much of her life to emotionally, nor surrender the daughter Ranko had become. What her feelings might be, as far as wanting or needing Ranko to be Fa Shen, if she were to regain the memories of Pa Shen, were yet to be discovered.

Nodoka had suggested that Ranko surrender the identities of her past and look to the future, but she was honest enough to know that Ranko would always feel pressure to be Ranma or Fa Shen. There were too many people who would insist on seeing Ranko as Ranma or Fa Shen. Even Nodoka wanted to see those parts of Ranko surface, to keep her "other" children alive in her mind. It was still hard to see the three as parts of the same person, and it was mind boggling to think of any of them as a part of herself.

There was one thing for certain, Cinnamon's revelation had made Nodoka very conscious of her... mortality... Considering what she was, "mortality" was technically an inappropriate word, but no other word fit. Cinnamon had confronted Nodoka with the end of her existence as she knew it. If she really only had a few years before she was absorbed into her child, did she really want to spend it living the way she had been for the past twenty years?

The question had to be pushed aside as the dragon she clung to shuddered and suddenly banked hard to the right, turning to fly back in the direction they had come. Remembering to focus her thoughts as she spoke into the wind, Nodoka cried, "What are you doing? Why are we turning back?"

Cinnamon's voice echoed into her mind as the dragon broadcast her reply, "I thought I just felt Ranko's aura flare up behind us. She must be in a fight for her life to have summoned the kind of power I'm sensing!" The dragon emphasized this by tucking in her wings and snaking her body in a power dive.

"In a fight for her life?" Nodoka cried in dismay, peering through squinted eyes at the spot the dragon was diving toward. Between the wind biting at her face and the thunderheads drifting between mountain peaks, she could not make out anything.

"I do not know, I only know that the last time I felt her like this, she was battling Herb," Cinnamon clarified grimly. She had automatically flown above the storm, and the clouds had prevented even her keen eyes from spotting anything suspicious as she flew over Jusenkyo, even as the magic of the springs obscured Ranko's presence until her aura flared up in full. Cinnamon had no idea why Ranko would be at Jusenkyo, or how she would have gotten there in the state she had been the last time Cinnamon saw her, but there was no question that things had gotten worse while she was retrieving Nodoka.

With a silent warning to Nodoka to hold on tight, the dragon pierced the clouds and fell with the sleeting rain towards the Earth. In a heartbeat, she broke past the occluding mist and spread her wings wide to slow her headlong descent. She spared a thought of admiration for Nodoka's tenacity, upon confirming that the woman still clung tightly to her back, and then scanned the valley for signs of Ranko. It hardly took any effort to spot the red headed girl, with a visible mantle of chi enveloping her as she danced in the air around a monstrous tentacled beast. Her opponent was also airborne, held aloft by the ridiculously implausible crane's wings that sprouting from its shoulders.

"Good heavens! What on Earth is that thing?" Nodoka cried in disbelief, having spotted the battle as well.

"That is what happens when a Yeti, riding a bull, holding a crane and an eel, falls into an uncursed spring at Jusenkyo," Cinnamon reported with wry amusement. "I'm afraid I don't know where the octopus comes in. That wasn't part of the legend I heard. Nor do I know why it's fighting Ranko." The dragon began to circle the valley as she continued to descend, one eye on the battle while the other searched for a place to land. She spotted another person, perched atop a pole, seemingly engaging the beast as well. There was no sign of Prince Herb, though the henchmen, Lime and Mint, were making their way toward the battle skirting the springs with care. "I believe your daughter has recovered from the Neko Ken," Cinnamon observed, noticing that Ranko was not acting like a cat as she fought the beast.

At that moment, Ranko happened to glance up, after noticing a disturbance in the falling rain as Cinnamon circled overhead. The girl's face paled and her pigtail stood up like a cat's tail. Then, with a cry of abject terror, she dove behind her opponent. The beast stood in complete astonishment as she slid effortlessly through its defenses and clung to it in desperation.

"Ranko! What the hell are you doing!" the boy who was assisting her demanded in outrage.

"D-d-d-DRAGON!" the girl screamed, before hiding her face in the beast's rough pelt.

"Wha..." the boy began, turning to look where Ranko had been staring. "Oh SHIT!"

The beast reared its head back and issued a heavy, lowing, laugh before gathering Ranko in a nest of tentacles and turning to flee from the field of battle. The boy that had been with Ranko turned and followed, either in pursuit of Ranko or to escape from the dragon. The henchmen, Lime and Mint, took one look at the dragon and headed for the spot where she would have the most room to land. Cinnamon considered pulling up and pursuing the beast from the air, but if she remained in her natural form, she would continue to provoke Ranko's inherited fear. "I had forgotten that Fa Shen was mortally afraid of dragons," she informed Nodoka, heading for the clearing next to the Jusenkyo Guide's hut. "I will have to become human and pursue Ranko on foot."

"Please, do what you must! That horrible creature has Ranko!" Nodoka urged, readying herself to jump down from the dragon's back the instant Cinnamon was safely on the ground. "I am sure I will be safe at the Guide's hut."

Cinnamon nodded, thinking to herself that she might need a slightly stronger human form to contend with the beast she would be pursuing. "As long as Cologne doesn't learn I've left your side, I believe you are correct. Brace yourself, landings are a bit bumpy." The warning was not lightly given, as the dragon approached the ground with legs outstretched and wings pumping to cushion her landing. What appeared to be a smooth and graceful landing was a bit like riding a bucking bull for the tiny human on her back, as the dragon's body undulated to absorb the momentum of flight and the recoil of impacting the ground.

"Oh, my!" Nodoka gasped, as she slid bonelessly from the dragon's back and struggled to balance on numb legs.

"Careful," Cinnamon warned, shifting fluidly into human form and somehow managing to continue supporting Nodoka with her body. Cinnamon remained female for less than a heart beat as the driving rain triggered her most recent curse. The first thought to pass through Cinnamon's mind was relief that the nanniichuan curse seemed to be attached to her—or at the moment, his—female human form. Nodoka blushed as she realized that a noticeably taller, more muscular and equally naked form asserted itself, and carefully stepped away and averted her eyes. "Ah, I should have realized that was going to happen," Cinnamon apologized, turning and covering himself with one hand, while keeping one hand out to steady Nodoka. He had to turn away, since one hand was not sufficient to conceal his body's reaction to his contact with Nodoka. With unusual haste, Cinnamon summoned up an outfit suited to his present form and then turned once more to face Nodoka. "I should not linger. The beast already has a good lead."

"Oh, no. Please hurry!" Nodoka insisted, blushing faintly at her reaction to the dragon's male form.

"I will leave you with Herb's henchmen," Cinnamon stated, giving Lime and Mint a commanding look as they finally caught up. "I must hurry to help Ranko. If you allow anything to happen to Nodoka, even at the hands of your own Prince or Emperor, my vengeance will know no equal."

"We understand, O great dragon!" Lime and Mint bowed deeply, gasping for breath after their marathon run from the fortress. Mint continued, speaking for both of them. "We urge you to make haste, Ranko was searching for Prince Herb. If you find her, she can explain what has happened! Hurry!"

"I see." Cinnamon nodded imperiously and turned to go when Nodoka interrupted.

"Wait. That boy, the one who was fighting beside Ranko, I recognize him. His name is Ryu Kumon," Nodoka informed the dragon, hoping that the information would help Cinnamon secure the boy's help. She had no idea what he was doing in China, but there was no way she would forget the boy who had pretended to be her son.

Cinnamon nodded and excused himself. Setting off into the woods at a steady lope, he pursued Ranko and Ryu.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 06 _

_Author's Note: This chapter took much longer to complete than I had anticipated. Some delays were caused by my move and some by work. I am operating on a shoe-string budget, working three jobs and barely being paid for two of them (the third job is graphic arts and writing I am doing, trying to get published). Even so, this was a difficult chapter due to the battle sequence with Taro. I had to go through it three times to get it to work right and read smoothly, so I do hope the final result is worth the wait. In the meantime, I've updated the official Reflections archive on and as time permits I will get around to adding some original fiction and some fan art as well. By this point, I should know better than to promise a quick update for the next chapter, but hopefully it won't be as long as some of the previous dry spells. My main concern is that I don't rush things just to get something up. I believe that most of you would rather wait an extra month for something good. The next two chapters are the turning point in the volume, so that will be something of a challenge. The oft mentioned and long delayed Refractions might no longer be a sequel to Reflections. I started a revision of Reflections last year, and discovered that the ideas I've had since writing Reflections caused significant changes, so I am toying with making Refractions an alternate version. I'd be happy to hear people's thoughts about that, since it could be a while before I can resume work on the revision. The only reason I'm putting it out there is because I think that the revision, while being based on and similar to Reflections, will be a better story. But, whatever happens, Reflections will be completed through Vol. 5 no matter what. That I can promise. _

_Until next time... _


	7. Part 07: In Enemy Arms

In Enemy Arms

* * *

Diving behind Taro, to escape the sight of Cinnamon in dragon form, was far from the most intelligent thing Ranko had done lately. She realized that the moment she felt the tentacles of his cursed form wrapping around her. Unfortunately, the fear of dragons she had inherited from Fa Shen could not be controlled by reason, as her fear of cats sometimes could be—if she was not caught completely off guard.

Who in their right mind wouldn't be afraid of a dragon? Ranko asked herself silently as she began to struggle against Taro's grip. The strength of those tentacles surpassed Ranko's own inhuman strength, and for all their slimy appearance they clung even better when wet. With each limb wrapped tight in a pair of tentacles, Ranko was effectively immobilized—but with the power of the circuit flowing through her again, she felt anything but helpless. Normally, free movement was required to shape her ki attacks, but—she had learned in her battle with Herb—she had so much raw power at her disposal that it hardly mattered.

The only reason she hesitated to use that power against Taro was because it had an arousing effect on those it touched, and some part of her questioned the wisdom of charging the libido of an opponent who had threatened to rape her. The tips of Taro's tentacles were already caressing her, stimulated by contact with the ghostly flames of her aura. Fortunately, Taro was preoccupied with his effort to lose their pursuers.

As Taro ripped through the forest, Ranko could see Ryu Kumon flashing in and out of view between trees and sheets of rain. Someone else chased after Ryu, at enough of a distance that Ranko could not make out his features through the blur of constant, jerking movement. Ranko blinked the rain out of her eyes and noticed a froth of bubbles forming on Ryu's body.

"Ryu!" she cried out in warning, "the soap! It's wearing off!"

Hearing this, Taro roared in bullish laughter and turned to confront the first of his pursuers, anticipating an easy victory.

Ryu stopped as well, pausing to look down at himself, surprised at the sudden surge of foam. "What the..." he cut himself off, blurring into motion as Ranko's warning penetrated his confusion. In an instant, he had stripped off his clothes and stuffed them into a knapsack; an instant later he was transformed into a fierce tiger.

Ranko struggled to see around the bulk of Taro's cursed body, worried that the failure of the notoriously unreliable waterproof soap had rendered her former rival helpless before the hulking monstrosity of Taro.

"Ryu!" Ranko shouted out again, in concern. Ryu responded to her cry with a feline roar that sent a deathly chill down Ranko's spine. When Taro twisted to avoid the charge of the newly cursed martial artist, Ranko caught a glimpse of Ryu's tiger-striped hide and went rigid. "No!" she choked out as Ryu flew past, rebounding from a tree trunk to launch himself at Taro's back, claws extended to tear Ranko free from the tentacles. "T-t-t-tiger!"

As the grip of fear closed once more around her mind, Ranko released a surge of raw ki and crippled her captor with a flood of orgasmic pleasure. The tentacles holding her shuddered with bliss and went limp. Ranko twisted and squirmed free with absolute haste, seeming to fade into non-existence as Ryu crashed into the stunned bulk of their foe. Taro collapsed under the combined assault.

On some level, Ranko understood what had happened. She knew that the tiger was just Ryu Kumon, in his new, cursed form, but that knowledge offered no more protection than similar knowledge of Shampoo's curse ever had. So she ran. Without a single glance back, or a single thought about where she was going, she fled from her fear, clinging desperately at the last strands of her sanity.

Ryu stared at her fleeing form in absolute disbelief for one long moment and then, being completely ignorant of the traumatic episode of her childhood, raced after her. Behind them, Taro struggled to his feet, his body aching with a desire his mind rebelled against. His nerves still tingled with the echoes of Ranko's erotic ki. He did not know what she had done. He only knew that it had felt wonderful. Having felt it, he was gripped with a desperate desire to feel it again.

With a roar of challenge, he took up the pursuit, quickly overtaking Ryu and passing him.

Due to the power of the circuit running through her, Ranko quickly outpaced her pursuers. As her panic faded, she stumbled out of the forest into a cultivated field. Stopping to orient herself, she realized that she had put a significant distance between herself and Jusenkyo. Her breathing quickly returned to normal, but the raw ki that flowed through her left her flushed with arousal.

Without the distractions of her phobias or battle, she was no longer as immune to the full effects of her own power. The feeling made her instantly self-conscious. There she stood alone at the edge of an anonymous farm, vibrating with pleasure as if some invisible lover was wrapped around her.

With all the discipline she could muster, she forced the power back down, sealing it away in the warm, dark places of her mind. Having pushed this final distraction aside, she remembered what had happened to Herb.

As before, she had an immediate impulse to go to Herb's rescue. That impulse was followed with an irresistible urge to laugh. When Herb had turned her life upside down with his last-second victory, after forcing her to promise to marry him if he won, neither of them had realized the cost of his victory. The destruction of his male form, had been hidden until he fell into a Kaisuifuu charged bath earlier that morning.

Ranko had no idea what effect that was going to have on her promise. Would Herb hold her to it if he was stuck as a she? Ranko could not picture Herb volunteering to be the bride if they got married. No, Herb had raced off to visit the Nanniichuan the instant he was confronted with the loss of his male side. Eventually, Herb would recover enough to survive getting another curse. No doubt, Herb would want to regain his manhood before resuming the pursuit of Ranko.

Ranko knew that her sense of honor would compel her to help Herb become a man again. In spite of having come to terms with her female identity, Ranko's male identity was precious to her, and if she were in Herb's place, she would do anything to be able to be Ranma again.

Ranko frowned and growled at herself. The night before, she had realized that her fusion with Ranma and Fa Shen had put her in a position to be Ranma again, officially. It had been a strangely upsetting revelation. Not only could she be Ranma again, some people would expect her to be Ranma again. As her reflections had proved, however, just taking the name Ranma was not the same as really being Ranma. The real Ranma was a boy who had never been dipped in the Nyanniichuan. He was locked away in her head and unable to get out without being warped by her experiences.

Of course, she would not be who she was not if not for Happosai giving Genma the water from Togenkyo, turning her into a boy in Nodoka's womb. Without Ranma, there was no Ranko. The dragon never stopped chasing its own tail.

"I don't have time for this!" she shouted to herself in frustration, pushing the thought out of her mind and turning in the direction of Phoenix Mountain. She had always known the name and location of the mountain, named for the phoenix that had been captured there by a Musk emperor before she was born—which she now knew had been Fa Shen's mother. Nodoka, actually, if Cinnamon was correct and Pa Shen had risen from the ashes to be raised by her son, Lo Shen—under the assumed identity of Kenshin Saotome.

Ranko shook her head. Her family history was as confusing as her personal history. Focusing on the mountain ahead of her, remembering the Jusenkyo Guide saying that was where Saffron had taken Herb, she took of at a steady lope, rescue plans forming in her brain.

* * *

It had been a long time since Cinnamon had been on a mad chase through the woods. The unexpected thrill of delight seemed a bit perverse considering the situation. Somewhere up ahead, the girl he loved was running in terror from a monster. In pursuit ahead of him was a tiger that had once been a human boy, and for all Cinnamon knew, another rival for Ranko's affections. The only thing he did know about the boy was his name, and now that he was cursed. Cinnamon was too proud to consider Ryu a threat, but it was fortunate for the tiger that the dragon had caught up to Ryu just in time to see the waterproof soap wear off. Otherwise, Cinnamon might have taken him out of the chase.

Since this was the first time Cinnamon had truly exerted himself in his new cursed form, he was still a bit awkward, crashing through the undergrowth and clipping the occasional tree. From the look of it, Ryu was new to his form, because he was also struggling to keep up with the chimera. The strength and proportions of their new forms played havoc with their trained instincts. Ranko, on the other hand, moved with such speed and coordination that she had quickly sped out of sight.

Ryu was still oblivious to his pursuer. Growling in frustration, slipping and skidding around trees as the rain turned the ground to mud under his paws, Ryu was struggling to keep Taro in sight. It seemed incredible that something as massive as Taro in his beast form could move so easily through the thick forest. Every few seconds, Ryu fell another twist or turn behind. Even when he lost sight of Taro, the path of torn and twisted vegetation left in his wake was easy enough to follow. Unfortunately, there were no clear signs of Ranko's passage, and Ryu feared that the monster had her in his clutches once again.

Cinnamon's suspicions were rising too, as he realized that the chase had turned them back toward Jusenkyo. The forest was as different as a thousand years could make it, but the lay of the land was still familiar to the ancient dragon. It was possible that Ranko was leading them back to where the fight had started, but it was just as likely the beast had recaptured her and had its own reasons for returning to the cursed springs. It was an old tactic to use Jusenkyo to throw off or eliminate pursuers.

Eventually, the broke out of the forest and darted up the ridge separating the cursed springs from the neighboring hot springs. The sharper senses Ryu possessed as a tiger allowed him to continue tracking Taro to the cliff over the hot springs, where he assumed Taro had taken to the air. When the tiger came to a stop at the edge, sniffing at the edge and scanning the skies in frustration, Cinnamon finally caught up to him.

At some point, Ryu has realized that he had been followed, but this was the first clear look he had gotten. His shock at seeing a slightly older, redheaded version of Ranma was impossible to conceal, even with a tiger's face. Cinnamon did not need to read the cursed martial-artist's mind to know that Ryu was confused by Cinnamon's resemblance to Ranko's male side. The questions Ryu wanted to ask were obvious, but there was no time.

"He did not fly away," Cinnamon announced, holding a hand and pointing down at the collection of steaming pools at the base of the cliff. The tiger crouched at the edge and looked where Cinnamon was pointing, and then met his eyes. Cinnamon nodded. "There is a better escape route down there. In the main pool, under the water, there is an entrance to a river of caves. I suggest we dive in for a look, before giving up this chase." He frowned, as it occurred to him that the hot water would force him to become female, but even in that weaker form Cinnamon considered himself a match for the beast. He took a deep breath and dove into the main pool below.

Ryu dove into the water after him and they both emerged in the cave to see Taro, standing naked and aroused holding a handful of clothing.

"He's human, then," Cinnamon observed, looking briefly at Ryu for confirmation.

Once again, Ryu was caught off guard by Cinnamon's appearance. The fact that he turned into a girl in hot water was enough to prove she was not Ranko, but she looked too young to be Ranko's mother. This was not the time to explore that mystery, however. Fixing a glare on Taro, he answered his companion's question. "That's his real form, but I would hesitate to call this monster human," Ryu retorted, rapidly pulling clothes out of the satchel he had dragged along through the chase. He was scanning the cave for any sign of a captive or incapacitated Ranko. "Where is she, Taro?"

Taro snorted in disgust and casually began to step into his pants. "What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked, glaring at the woman standing next to Ryu and studying him with a deadly cold gaze. There was something odd about her appearance, but in the dim light reflected up through the water, it was not as clear that the red headed woman was a few years older than Ranko in appearance. He could tell that the clothes she wore were different from those Ranko had worn, and there was no question the hot water did not turn her male as he would expect in Ranma's case. As he jerked on his shirt, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That isn't her, is it?"

Cinnamon sighed in relief. "He would not have to ask if he still had her." Apparently, she concluded, this Taro had given up his pursuit of Ranko and led them astray. Relaxing, she reached out with her mind, intending to pull the memory of his last glimpse of Ranko from his memories. "Where did you see her last?" she prompted gently. The first image Cinnamon encountered was the memory of a fantasy that had formed in the wake of being aroused by the effects of Ranko's ki. A harsh, rapid probing of his mind gave Cinnamon a clear picture of the fight she had interrupted, and confirmed that Taro was feeling rather tempted to follow though on his threat to rape her.

On a subconscious level, Taro sensed the violation of his mind and struggled to break free of Cinnamon's mental grip.

The instant Taro shifted into a defensive stance, Ryu attacked, charging forward at a full sprint. "Don't move!" he roared, delivering a hard kick to Taro's sternum while the older boy was still off balance. His swift attack saved Taro from instant death at Cinnamon's hands. Her fury, fueled by the image stolen from Taro's mind, was hot and savage. The clothes she had summoned to save Nodoka from embarrassment dissolved an instant before that rage prompted Cinnamon to assume her proper form. Ryu managed to deliver a series of brutal blows as Taro gaped in disbelief at the dragon that had suddenly reappeared. His arrogance vanished with a hard gulp and he turned and ran deeper into the cave.

Ryu snarled and raced after him, but after a few seconds Cinnamon pulled up short. Taro, for all his sadistic intentions, was a minor nuisance and the dragon had two greater obligations. Cinnamon had to keep her promise to protect Nodoka, first, and a more personal interest in finding Ranko, wherever she had run off to. There had been no sign of her in the cave, and from what Cinnamon could tell, Taro had given up pursuing her almost as soon as she had raced out of sight in the forest. According to Lime and Mint, the girl would be searching for Prince Herb. Why? Cinnamon would have to catch up to Ranko in order to find out. The dragon decided to leave Taro to Ryu's mercy and turned back toward the pool flooding the entrance to the cave.

Given her current proximity to Jusenkyo, the dragon decided to deal with Nodoka's security first. Exploding from the surface of the pool, at the base of the cliff, Cinnamon clawed her way up the cliff and followed the path down the other side of the ridge to the humble abode of the Jusenkyo Guide. As she approached, she spotted Nodoka kneeling placidly across a fire from the Guide sipping tea and trying to ignore Lime and Mint standing guard at either shoulder. The Guide looked up in time to see Cinnamon bearing down on them, gave out a shriek and tumbled away from the fire in a panic.

"Cinnamon?" Nodoka rose swiftly to her feet, faint alarm in her eyes as she schooled her face to remain calm.

"Your daughter escaped from Taro," Cinnamon boomed, projecting the words into the minds of everyone present. The dragon fixed her eyes on the two Musk warriors. "Unfortunately, she evaded Ryu and I as well, while we were chasing the chimera. I intend to go after her, but first I must see to it that her other is safe." Cinnamon turned her large, intense eyes back to Nodoka. "I am hesitant to drag you along on my search. I believe you would be safest among the Amazons."

"If you insist, though honestly, I would prefer to accompany you and find my daughter," Nodoka protested gently.

Cinnamon lowered her head in consideration. "If you came with me, I could only carry you part of the way. I cannot approach Ranko in this form without causing her to flee. I am afraid that we could not catch up to her, however, at a pace that you could sustain," she was forced to point out.

"This is not the only form of yours strong enough to carry me," Nodoka persisted, resisting the inexplicable urge to blush.

Cinnamon sighed. The woman had a point. The rain would turn her into an older, stronger version of her son the moment Cinnamon attempted to shed her natural form. It would not be too difficult to carry Nodoka, and it was in better keeping with the promise she had made to Cologne to keep Ranko's mother under her personal protection. "Fine. You can accompany me."

"O great dragon, we beg you allow us to come as well," Mint inserted boldly, stepping forward with Lime.

Nodoka turned toward them and shook her head. "No. I understand how you feel about your prince, but I believe you should waste no time informing his father of what you two told me," the Saotome matriarch insisted. She turned to Cinnamon and quickly summed up the tale Mint had confided. "They told me Ranko came back to Jusenkyo to stop Herb from getting cursed," she began, letting her concern show on her face. "It seems that Herb's male form was destroyed in the fight with Ranko. They discovered it this morning when these two dropped the Kaisuifuu into Herb's bath this morning. Herb came here, according to the Guide, and was captured by a man named Saffron, and Ranko is probably on her way to rescue Herb now."

Cinnamon's eyes grew wider with each shocking sentence. The loss of Herb's form was something she had feared, and had hoped to confirm in a manner less upsetting to Herb. It was not surprising to hear Herb had immediately sought out the Nanniichuan. The true shock was hearing that the prince had encountered Lord Saffron. "Is this true?" Cinnamon asked, giving the Guide and the Musk warriors each a challenging look.

"Is so, Dragon. I see with own eyes. Saffron come, knock boy in Huniichuan, jump in Nanniichuan, then face Prince Herb. This very dark day in Jusenkyo history," the Guide confirmed in grave tones.

"I am fluent in Chinese, you know," the dragon observed dryly, wondering why the Guide was speaking to him in broken Japanese.

"Ah… ha, ha. I mean no offense, Noble Dragon," the Guide gurgled in Mandarin, kowtowing in desperate haste.

The dragon snorted and dismissed the stocky man from her mind. Giving the two Musk warriors a careful appraisal, she gave a quick nod. "Mint, you are built for speed. You report to the Emperor. Lime, wait for him and then you may follow. Also, keep an eye out for Ryu. He will most likely return here once he has dealt with Taro, and may wish to come as well. If we are to march on Mount Phoenix, we will need all the help we can get. Saffron and his people are deadly and ill tempered."

"As you say," the henchmen acknowledged with a deep bow. Mint wasted no time, turning on his heel and sprinting off in the direction of the Musk Fortress. Lime watched him depart, then settled down next to the fire to wait with a fierce glimmer in his eyes.

"Very well. Let us be off, Nodoka," Cinnamon urged, crouching low so that Ranko's mother could climb once more to the spot where a human could ride safely on the dragon's back. Once she was settled in place, Cinnamon spread her wings and stretched out like a cat in preparation for the strain of taking flight. "Hold on tight, little one," the dragon warned, giving Nodoka just enough time to brace herself, before springing into the sky.

* * *

Kiima was pacing up and down the hall in front of the door to Lord Saffron's private rooms. She was furious and frustrated. When she had discovered that he had snuck out of the palace, she had all but turned the mountain upside down searching for him, and somehow, in spite of having roused half the guard to help, he had returned unnoticed a few hours ago and locked himself in his room. It was an infuriating habit, and one that suggested that he was beginning to remember his past lives and yearn for the day of his ascension. So far, there was no sign of any obsession with hot springs, but the boy was clearly feeling the urge to search for something and arrogant enough to risk his life outside the safety of the palace to find it.

The problem was, he had chosen the very morning a dragon was spotted flying from the Musk Fortress. Only the fact that it had not come straight to Mount Phoenix kept Kiima from believing that her raid to steal the Chisuiiton had caused the Musk to summon one of the ancient beings. She was desperate to report the dragon and alert her Lord to the threat it represented, but the blasted child had ignored her request for entry. For what seemed the thousandth time, she pounded on the door and shouted, "My Lord Saffron! I have urgent news!"

"Captain Kiima!" a voice cried out from down the hall, underscored by the sound of running feet.

Kiima turned toward the arriving messenger, an unpleasant knot forming in her stomach. "Report."

"Yes, Captain. The scout you sent out this morning has returned," the young man announced, wings fluttering in obvious agitation.

Kiima glanced once at the door in despair, and then returned her attention to the youth. "Fine. Stay here and watch the door. I want to know the instant Lord Saffron stirs," she commanded with a stern look. When the messenger bowed to her order, she flared the feathers of her wings, settling them into order and stalked down the hall to confront the scout.

Her temper was not much improved when she was greeted with furious quacking.

"What the flaming feathers is this?" she demanded, staring at the Hououjin woman swooping around the chamber in pursuit of a frantic duck.

"Dinner, if it would just stay in the bag!" the scout growled in frustration. The duck had been about to fly out the door Kiima had entered, and was forced to veer left to avoid crashing into her. The scout cried out in triumph, seizing the opportunity to snag the panicked bird in a net. As she dropped out of the air she realized who had spoken, and hastily knelt before Kiima. "My apologies, Captain. I am ready to report."

"I expect to hear good news, seeing as you saw fit to stop and hunt during your mission!" Kiima snapped.

The scout flushed and stammered, "I… I assure you, I did not stray from the mission. The dragon went to ground and I overshot it. I ran into the duck as I spotted the dragon taking wing behind me. I literally ran into the duck as I was doubling back."

Kiima's eyes narrowed. "Go on. Show me where the dragon went."

The scout stepped over to indicate on the map the route the dragon had flown, where she had lost it, where she had reacquired it and where it had gone. "The last I saw, the dragon was carrying a woman with red hair to Jusenkyo. I lost sight of it as we passed through the clouds," she explained, before concluding, "I suspect that the dragon bears a curse, as it seemed to disappear moments after landing."

Kiima considered that and then nodded. The scout had made a reasonable decision to return and report. The regular sentries would spot the dragon if it reappeared in the skies above Jusenkyo. If the dragon was carrying people from place to place, and showing no interest in Mount Phoenix, then it was unlikely that it had been roused by the Musk in response to her raid. It might yet be a problem, but her original fear was starting to seem unfounded. The Musk were certain to respond to the theft of one of their sacred treasures, but it seemed that they were taking their time to organize a response. As long as Saffron did not persist in his inexplicable refusal to give her an audience, she would have time to prepare for an attack from the Musk.

Kiima dismissed the scout, ignoring the duck's angry protests.

* * *

Akane, Ukyo, Ryouga, Shampoo and Cologne began to worry when Mirror missed several scheduled rest breaks in their journey. Normally, they would be let out every few hours for fresh air, exercise and bathroom breaks, while Mirror rested and ate. Cologne had begun to suspect the worst as noon approached.

"Is not like Mousse," Shampoo muttered, giving her great-grandmother's fears a voice. She stood and walked to the crystalline wall of their cell. She rested a hand gently on the hard surface and looked up at the darkened portal.

"No. Even as a boy, Mirror would not be foolish enough to leave us trapped in here without reason," Cologne commented, inserting a mild rebuke by associating Mousse with his new, assumed identity. The fiction that Mirror was a different person from Mousse was the only thing that kept the boy safe from an ancient Amazon prohibition. "If nothing else, she would want to spend a little time with you, Great-granddaughter."

"What if she lost the compact?" Akane asked in sudden alarm. Ryouga and Ukyo stared at her and then looked at each other with rueful expressions. It was not unlike Mousse to pick up a nice, flat rock and fly off to Japan leaving the compact abandoned on the ground.

"In that case, we're going to be stuck in here until someone finds the compact and…" Ryouga cut herself off. Most people would open the compact and look in the mirror, becoming trapped inside with them. "No one would think of turning it over and slapping it!" she cried out in frustration.

"Terriffic," Ukyo grumbled. At least Ryouga was too annoyed to be depressed about it. They did not have enough water to keep splashing the piglet with water to turn her human. If she had known there were going to be no rest breaks, she would have left Ryouga in pig form all along.

"What we do, Great-grandmother?" Shampoo turned to Cologne.

"Well, if we must, we could prepare ourselves to escape when the mirror is opened. While some unfortunate soul is falling in, perhaps one of us can get out," the old woman schemed, studying the dark portal. The distance was small enough that any of them could leap it. Timing was the critical factor. To escape while the portal was open, they would have to react instantly to the first sign of someone looking into the glass.

"How long do you think that could take?" Akane probed doubtfully.

Cologne sighed. Before she could ask, the world turned upside-down and they were falling through the air. In spite of trained reflexes, the entire group slapped face first onto a hard, stone floor, sprawled in an undignified pile. A quick look revealed that they were in a kitchen carved out of natural stone.

"Sorry about that," Mirror squeaked, standing above them stark naked with one hand poised to strike the back of the compact again. Hastily, she added, "Try not to make any noise. We are in enemy territory!"

"What happened, Mirror?" Cologne demanded, concern and irritation evident in her subdued voice.

"As I was leaving the inn, I was shot with a drugged dart," Mirror announced, rubbing the spot on her belly where the wound she had received had been translated during her transformation back to human form. "When I came to, I was bound in a net tied to the back of a Hououjin scout. She was planning to eat me for dinner!"

Ryouga winced and placed a comforting hand on Mirror's shoulder, while handing her something to wear. "That's rough, man."

Mirror scowled, not sure if she wanted to object to the sympathy or the gender-inappropriate form of address. She still did not know how to deal with the implied friendship such comments carried when uttered by Ryouga or Ranma. She wiped the irritation off her face and continued, "I attempted to escape, but that only made the bird-woman suspect I might be more than a duck. She dunked me in hot water, but of course the water triggers are still locked from when Herb splashed me with the Chisuiiton. As soon as she dropped her guard I used my chi to change back and knocked her out."

"We were afraid you had gotten yourself into trouble, but to be captured by a Hououjin! Mercy, Child, you could start a war!" Cologne declared, shaking her head in dismay.

"Who are the Hououjin?" Akane asked.

In response, Mirror pulled her around the cutting board and pointed at the unconscious scout. "That is a Hououjin. I had never seen one until today. I thought they were just a myth!"

"Better for all of us if they were, Child," Cologne declared, coming to the bird-woman's side and carefully touching the pressure points that would keep her incapacitated until natural sleep set her free several hours later. "I take it there was a reason you let us all out, rather than try to sneak away with us hidden in the compact?" the old woman asked Mirror.

"Yes. I am sorry, but we are deep inside the mountain. The whole of their community is between us and any chance of freedom. I let you all out so we can fight out way through," Mirror confessed.

"A far from desirable option, but none of us could pass as anything but food or foe among these creatures," Cologne confirmed.

"But how? How did these people come to have wings? Are they angels?" Akane wondered.

"They are all too human, warped as they are by ingesting cursed water," Cologne sneered with distaste. "It's a story better told when we are safely away. Akane, you are the least proficient of this group, and one of us needs to carry our things into the trap mirror so they do not encumber us."

Akane turned red with contained resentment, but managed to avoid turning male by focusing on the need to free the others hands to fight. With a crisp nod, she gathered the loose ends of the ropes that had been tied to each of the bags, casks and crates. "Okay, I am ready," she announced when she had a firm grip on the leads.

"Show her the mirror," Cologne commanded.

Mirror's arm snapped out, opening the compact with a flick of her wrist and poising the mirror in front of Akane's nose. Akane stared cross-eyed into the glass and disappeared with an involuntary squeak. Mirror snapped the compact closed and tucked it up her sleeve, into the ki twisted space where she kept her arsenal.

"I guess this is it, then," Ukyo muttered, reaching back to draw her battle spatula from its carrying rig. Ryouga and Mirror nodded, approaching the door, ready to rush out and deliver the opening blows of this battle. Shampoo hauled her bonbori out of their own pocket space and lined up next to Ukyo. Cologne hopped up onto her staff and bounced into the middle of their formation.

Cologne gave each of the girls a considering look. Two of them were properly boys, and one a female outsider, but as soon as they passed through that door into battle under her leadership, all of them were about to earn the official status of Amazon War Maidens. When she learned of it, Akane would not forgive Cologne for excluding her from the fight. The irony was, Akane was the most Amazon of them all, in spirit. It was simply a shame that the girl had been born an outsider, and never properly trained.

"It is time. Try not to get yourselves killed," Cologne told them, getting shocked looks from the three outsiders in return. "Go!"

* * *

Ranko perched on a tree branch and wiped the rain out of her eyes. The storm seemed to have kept pace with her, leaving Jusenkyo behind to keep shedding its misery on her head. Usually, when she thought of herself as a water-magnet, it was in wry humor. Having been locked in female form, she would have expected an impossible drenching in hot water, but this cold, bitter shower tormented her instead.

It would take little effort to let the power of the circuit rise and keep her warm, but the accompanying arousal would put her in no state to fight. While she was racing toward the mountain, the exertion had kept her warm enough to resist the temptation. If she delayed too long, contemplating the mountain rising into the clouds before her, her body would be wracked with violent shivers.

"I hate the rain," she sniffed, slicking her hair back out of her eyes in misery.

She shifted her weight and tucked her hands under her arms to try to warm them up. In spite of thinking of little else on the way, she had not come up with much of a rescue plan. The memories she had inherited from Fa Shen did not include anything useful about Mount Phoenix. Pa Shen had gone out of her way to keep her phoenix heritage a secret from her daughter, which had included avoiding the place where she had been captured by the Musk.

It was a tall, narrow spire. Its steep slopes made it an ideal place for winged inhabitants to reside, but almost impossible for a normal human to assault covertly. To her surprise, however, she had spotted an entrance to the mountain's interior on its lower slope. Ranma probably would not have found that suspicious at all, and charged straight in, but Fa Shen's knowledge of the tribes in this region made Ranko suspicious. These people had wings. Why would they need an entrance suited to normal people on foot?

If there was an easy way in, it would be designed for those who could fly. The flying part she could handle, but if there were any natives on the lookout, they would be able to tell she was an outsider by her lack of wings. She had already discovered that the techniques of the Umisenken would not work while she was flying, though. She could not use her ki to mask her presence while drawing on enough power needed to defy gravity.

"I guess I'll have to wait until dark," she decided aloud. The cloud cover was too uncertain. It might not extend high enough, and it might keep her from spotting sentries in time to avoid them. "It's that or retreat, go really high, and come down out of the sun. Assuming I can fly that high," Ranko quipped, tilting her head back to stare into the heavens.

The best option required a long wait, so her best bet was to do some experimenting. Ranko started to practice working the Umisenken at increasing levels of power. Getting in undetected was her highest priority. It would allow her to map out the interior and search for Herb without having to fight her way in blind. It would also make it easier to fight her way back out once she had Herb.

While she worked on refining her ki manipulation, she made her way up a neighboring peak. None were as tall as Mount Phoenix, but this one was tall enough to make a good launching point for her rescue.

* * *

Ryu had pursued Taro through the twisted knot of caverns, struggling to come to terms with the fact that the person who had joined the chase was really a dragon. It had to be the same dragon that had caused Ranko to throw herself at Taro, which made the mystery of the dragon's human appearance, both male and female, even more bewildering. By the end of the day, Ryu was going to have no end of questions for Ranko, if things continued to be so bizarre. It had almost come as a relief, when Taro led them back to the surface, to see him shed his clothes, run out into the rain, and fly away.

Ryu had stood in the shelter of the cave mouth and watch the flying, tentacled minotaur dwindle out of sight. When the rain stopped a few minutes later, he ventured out, got his bearings and then made his way overland back to Jusenkyo. When he reached the hot springs, he quickly broke down his camp and carried his belongings with him to the Jusenkyo Guide's hut. He considered using the waterproof soap, but the protection it offered was marginal at best—as Ranko had warned. He might as well accept the fact that a splash of water would turn him into a tiger and get used to it.

Finding no one inside the Guide's hut, he made his way down to the springs and found the Guide sharing tea with a burly young man Ryu had not seen before. As he approached the pair, Ryu got a better look at the stranger, taking in his sharp, pronounced canines and tiger striped outfit. He continued to stare as he approached, growing angry as he confirmed that it was real tiger fur—and feeling a bit ill as the notion of some hunter shooting him for his own pelt flashed through his mind.

"You must be Ryu," the stranger declared, rising to his feet with restrained temper. He did not know what inspired Ryu's hostility, but he did not like it.

"Yes, this Mr. Customer we waiting for," the Guide announced, lurching to his feet and approaching Ryu. "Great Dragon ask us wait here for you. I introduce you. This is Lime, warrior of Musk Dynasty, he serve Prince Herb. We also waiting for Mint, partner of Lime," the Guide elaborated, pleased to see curiosity displace the animosity from Ryu's expression.

"You serve Prince Herb?" Ryu repeated, giving Lime a thoughtful look. When Lime nodded and relaxed his own stance, Ryu nodded. "I take it we're going to go help Ranko rescue her then. Thanks for waiting for me."

"It was the Dragon's will." Lime turned to the Guide and announced, "Enough time has been wasted waiting. We must be going. Tell Mint to join us quick as he can if he stops here."

The Guide promised to deliver the message, handed them a bundle containing cold lunches and water flasks and confirmed that Lime knew the quickest route to Mount Phoenix. Ryu fell into step with Lime as he took off at a steady lope. The pace was too quick for easy conversation, so Ryu kept his questions to himself.

As they left the valley and the springs behind, Ryu looked up at the storm clouds shrouding the mountains ahead of them. He cursed at their ragged bellies, realizing that they were running into the rain.

* * *

Prince Herb watched Saffron carefully as he contemplated the story she had told. As she had expected, Saffron reacted with distaste to the news that Fa Shen had been reincarnated as a boy who had fought to preserve his manhood. She had been forced to describe her conflict with Ranma during her quest to recover the Kaisuifuu as if she had heard it second hand, but Ranma's actions spoke for themselves. Even when she saw no way to avoid telling Saffron that Ranko had become locked in female form following their last battle, again presented as second-hand knowledge, she had emphasized the fact that Ranko had been determined to die before marrying Herb.

On his own, Saffron had noted the fact that Ranma had assumed a new identity, as Ranko, rather than assume the identity of Fa Shen. Herb saw no reason to correct Saffron, and it was essentially true that Ranko derived her current identity from her experiences as Ranma. She wanted Saffron to believe that Ranko saw herself as a man.

"So, why did Prince Herb wish to marry Ranko?" Saffron finally asked, unable to fathom why any man would pursue a man in female form.

"It was his father's command. He made that very clear, when he lost the opportunity to pursue Fa Shen," Herb responded cautiously.

"Then it was fortunate for him he was destroyed in their final battle," Saffron declared, considering what he had learned and adjusting his plans accordingly. At the same time, he found himself thinking of the woman in front of him in a new light. There were other ways he could benefit from the conquest of Ranko, but if not through marriage, then he could afford to explore his attraction to the woman before him.

"What you have told me has not pleased me, but I would rather have learned this than learned it too late," Saffron confessed, rising and approaching Herb. He noticed as she blushed and struggled to maintain her composure as he invaded her personal space. If he read her correctly, then the attraction was mutual, if not entirely welcome on her part. He recalled that she had feelings for another man, a man unable to consummate their union. He smiled. By Amazon law, he had the right to assert his own claim.

"What are you doing?" Herb gasped, as Saffron's fingers danced up her arm and then cupped her chin.

"You have discouraged my affection for my intended," Saffron pointed out, allowing his fascination and arousal to show. "There is no longer any reason to object to our union in accordance with your own law."

Herb went rigid in panic. Trapped by her own lies, she tried to prevaricate, "My Lord Saffron! You cannot want this! I… I …"

"Silence, Woman. You would not break your own law, would you?" Saffron rebuked her, gently. He leaned in close, pressing his body against hers and bringing his lips close to hers, barely brushing against them as he spoke. "I have defeated you. I believe you owe me a kiss," he urged, amazed at his own insistence.

Herb did not know what to do. This had gone too far, but if she revealed the truth now, he would certainly kill her. Worse, she had an insane longing to surrender. There was something about him, something as impossible to resist as Ranko. Her dragon heritage betrayed her, left her vulnerable to the allure of a phoenix. "You don't want to do this," she protested desperately, as her arms wrapped themselves around him.

"I shouldn't, and yet, I cannot remember the last time I wanted anything so much," Saffron confessed. His hand slipped around to the back of her neck, supporting her head as he gently bent her backward.

Herb closed her eyes tight, as tears of frustration and fury welled up. The rational part of her mind was screaming at her to fight, to die if necessary, but ultimately to escape with her manhood intact. A different, deeper part, whispered that this was worth dying for. She tried one last time to protest, but her lips caught on his, and before she knew it, she had been swallowed by his kiss. Her mind collapsed into a storm of passion and animal instinct, cries of loss and discovery, and an endless flood of tears.

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 07 _

_Author's Note: It has been a long time coming, and I apologize to all my readers for the years it has taken to complete this chapter. I am afraid that life has not been kind to me, but I have scraped by. I do not plan to let so much time pass before my next update, but I just lost my job and will have to find another quickly. I refuse to abandon this story, but I know better than to make any promises when things are up in the air. All I can say is, I hope this chapter is worth the wait. _


	8. Part 08: Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight

* * *

In the long months that Herb had been locked in female form by the Chisuiiton, she had never allowed herself to be in a position where her masculine identity could be threatened. She had never even imagined herself in a position as compromising as the one she was in now, in the arms of a man with a phoenix nature. Unfortunately, by giving in to her attraction to Ranko, to the redhead's phoenix nature, she had unwittingly given Saffron an unguarded opening. Combined with the blow to her manhood, when she discovered that her true, male form had been destroyed, she had lost the confidence in herself necessary to defy the instincts that came with her female form. Together, that was enough for her to become lost in Saffron's kiss.

For a moment, anyway.

The simple animal pleasure of that moment, the pure sensuality of it, prompted her to respond to him and return his kiss with interest. Ironically, it was her own desire, her active participation that snapped her awake and made her question what she was doing. This was so close to what she wanted, with Ranko, that for a moment she had responded as if Saffron was Ranko. Opening her eyes, however, the illusion shattered and she began to struggle again.

Pushing Saffron away, holding him back just enough to gasp for breath, she protested, "This isn't right. I can't do this."

Saffron frowned and tried to pull her closer, crushing her body to his, while she strained to keep their faces centimeters apart. "I insist. Forget this other man you cannot have," he argued almost petulantly.

"Even if I could, how could I forget that you said you would slay me if I dared to claim you by Amazon Law?" she challenged, bowing her head to avoid his amorous lips.

"I should think that asserting my claim would be sufficient to assure you that you no longer face such danger," he countered, grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze, amused by the defiant glint in her eyes.

"I take no assurance in knowing that you have forgotten yourself, Lord Saffron. I see only that you might do so again and regret this little indulgence. Thus, I would lose my honor and my life, as well as the one I love!" she declared hotly.

Saffron frowned in displeasure. Her defiance was unwelcome, but she was not entirely wrong in her assessment of the risk. Since gaining adult form using the Nanniichuan, memories, out of the reach of the child's mind he had been trapped in by rebirth, had become accessible, along with the passions he now experienced as a man. In past lives, even when he was moved to intimacy with a mortal woman, he thought of her as a temporary diversion. Even as a child, he could remember his longing for a mate who could endure the centuries at his side.

He pulled back and studied 'his' Amazon carefully. She was afraid, in spite of her obvious attraction to him. With a suspicious frown, he wondered if she had reason to doubt his ability to commit to her. He knew the ways of the Amazons; any maiden who could claim a warrior of Saffron's stature would be hailed a heroine and gain immense status within her tribe. No love for a lesser man would be allowed to stand in the way. Her own elders would remove that obstacle if she dared to bring it to their attention. If she truly loved another man, she would renounce him for his own protection.

He considered her stated fear of being cast aside, and what that implied about the stories she had told about Ranko. It was logical for a loyal Amazon to attempt to discourage his interest in a revered tribal icon, but if she had lied outright, she would have to have known her life would be forfeit the moment the truth became evident. The facts of her story were probably true, or at least what most people believed to be true, but what if she suspected the truth was different from what other people believed?

"It would seem, for you to doubt the word of a living god, you must have significant cause to believe my interest in Ranko might be revived," Saffron concluded aloud, giving Herb a dark and dangerous look. A visible shudder ran through her body and he clenched his teeth. "I believe it would be best if you explained your doubts," Saffron commanded, pausing for a moment as he realized he had yet to hear her name. "And while you are at it, you might tell me your name."

Herb swallowed and took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. It was not hard to convert her name into an Amazon sounding name, so she shrugged and answered, "Ur Ba Rin Ze. As for my doubts, Lord Saffron, what mortal would not have doubts? What I have told you about Ranko is the truth as I know it, but I could be wrong about many things. As the reincarnation of Fa Shen, she has to be a woman first, but I am absolutely certain she will never surrender her manhood completely and she would never yeild to a man who expected her to."

Saffron considered that for a moment before giving a nod and prompting, "Is there anything else?"

Herb rolled her eyes, biting her lip and thinking fast. As long as she did not explain it, there was at least one true objection she could make, "I must confess I worry more that there might be something about me, some imperfection you could not overlook once you discovered it, that would change how you feel about me." Like the fact that she was really the Prince of the Musk Dynasty. A man.

That fatal pair of facts could never be kept secret forever. With her luck, Lime and Mint were on their way to storm the mountain, and they would be shouting for "Prince Herb" at the top of their lungs the whole way. She prayed to the dragons of heaven they were wise enough not to, but knew better than to count on it.

Fortunately, Saffron found the implicit insecurity of her response to be both reasonable and charming, and he smiled. "So, in truth you fear most to offend me. I must commend your wisdom and humility, and out of respect for such considerate caution, I will restrain myself for both our sakes. So that I may confirm for myself that Ranko is unsuitable to wed, and that you possess no qualities that would offend me before consummating our union," he declared in the manner of a true monarch speaking with the force of law.

Herb stared at him wide eyed, realizing that her unofficial and illegitimate engagement by Amazon Law, had just been turned into an official and utterly legitimate engagement to Saffron by Hououjin Law. If her father learned of this, she was doomed. The Musk had been trying to engineer such an arrangement for a thousand years, hoping to heal the rift between the Dragon and Phoenix Houses and end their endless feud. In this one thing, a princess was worth more to the Musk Empire than a prince.

Saffron pulled himself reluctantly away from Herb, to clear his mind and quiet his arousal. In the process he became aware of another presence that had been calling to him. His interest in Herb had almost blinded him to the sensation of another phoenix; it could only be Ranko, and while her presence seemed to be fading in and out, it was close by. Very close.

He turned, tracking her presence to the peak of the nearest mountain, and closed his eyes. Was it possible she had been drawn to his presence, or was there another reason for her to come so close to Mount Phoenix? He opened his eyes and glanced back at Herb; there had been witnesses to her abduction, the strange man who confronted him at Jusenkyo and the Jusenkyo Guide. It was as likely as not that Ranko was there in search of Herb, but all that really mattered was that she had given Saffron an opportunity to find out for himself how suitable Ranko was for his purposes.

He grabbed Herb by the arm and dragged her into his private audience chamber. "Wait here," he commanded, pointing to a spot in the middle of the room. "There are matters that call for my attention, and until we have resolved the questions you have raised it would be best to provide you with rooms of your own. I will make the arrangements and send someone to escort you."

Herb inclined her head, grateful for the opportunity to put some distance between them and have some privacy. "As you wish, Lord Saffron."

Saffron nodded and then pushed through the curtain into the vestibule that separated his chambers from those occupied by Captain Kiima, his appointed guardian until the day of his Ascension. Normally, the ritual bath at Jusendo was essential for his return to adult form. It was also required if he was to unlock his full power, and thanks to the curse he had taken to pursue the reincarnation of Fa Shen, he knew about it months ahead of schedule. Because of the stories Herb had told him about Ranko, he had even thought of a way to use her during his Ascension to become a full phoenix. He had gained his wings from a Hououjin he had consumed by accident during a previous Ascension, after all.

It was an evil impulse; not even Saffron could deny that. Tempting, but there was still hope that Ranko would be a suitable bride, or could be convinced to serve his interests in other ways. At worst, if she opposed him, he should just kill her and see to it that she was raised in a manner that suited him following her rebirth. It would also resolve all the problems of Ranko being an outsider in her current incarnation. He rather hoped it came to that, since he would then be able to indulge his interest in the platinum blond Amazon, and when her brief life came to an end, his phoenix bride would be ready.

In the other room, Herb was examining her surroundings, taking note of a balcony overlooking the Bayankala Mountain Range. Seeing such an obvious way out, she crept over to the curtains Saffon had exited through, peeking through them to make sure no one was likely to walk in and catch her trying to escape. She heard him unlock the door to the adjoining suite and saw him pause before opening it.

Saffron had just realized that it would be a bad idea confront Captain Kiima in his present form without warning. It would be easier to demonstrate the curse starting in the form she was familiar with, where as confronting her in human form might actually prompt an attack!

Herb fought to contain her gasp of disbelief when she saw Saffron douse himself with a glass of cold water and turn into a little boy with tiny wings sprouting out of his back. The shock and fury that raced through her, at discovering the true form of the man who had almost seduced—and could have easily raped—her, was immense. Clapping her hands over her mouth, she avoided shouting out, in slightly more profane words, "He's a frigging kid!" and tried to satisfy herself with the thought of choking him to death with her bare hands.

When she heard a deep resounding note of the bell he rang to summon his attendants, Herb resumed spying through the curtain. Saffron was releasing the ornate bell-rope and moving to the center of the room to await his Captain and his Chamberlain. The bird-woman stormed in first, with an expression caught between furious and concerned.

"My Lord Saffron! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to speak to me again!" Kiima declared, trying to express her frustration at being ignored without openly accusing him of delinquency. "I have a great deal to report!"

"Forgive me, Captain Kiima. I was busy with something and did not wish to be disturbed. I will hear your reports once the Chamberlain has joined us. I have a task requiring his immediate attention," the boy responded.

The Chamberlain entered at that moment and cleared his throat to call attention to himself. "A Task, My Lord?" he prompted.

Saffron nodded. "Chamberlain, I need you to prepare the royal guest chambers. We, ah, have a guest, and if all goes well, there will be another soon."

The old man and Kiima exchanged looks and raised eyebrows. "As you wish, Lord Saffron. I will deal with it immediately," the Chamberlain promised, bowing and backing out of the room.

Kiima gave her charge a curious look. "A guest, My Lord?"

"That can wait a moment. You said you had something to report," Saffron cued, crossing his arms and giving her his full attention.

Kiima took a deep breath and composed herself. "As commanded, I have dispatched scouts to infiltrate the Musk and the Joketsuzoku to confirm the resurrection of Fa Shen," she began, biting her lip when Saffron raised a hand and interrupted her.

"As to that, our guest has already provided me with that confirmation," he informed her casually, providing an incomplete explanation for his earlier absence from Mount Phoenix. "I know you do not approve of my venturing out alone, but there was something I had to attend to personally, and while I did, I encountered an Amazon who was able to tell me the full story of Fa Shen's resurrection."

Kiima was not entirely happy to hear it. "That is most unfortunate, My Lord," she sighed, catching herself and hastening to explain, "I mean, I am pleased to hear that you achieved so much so quickly, but there have been some unfortunate complications, for which I take full responsibility, having acted in haste to fulfill your commands.

"As you may know," Kiima continued, hoping her explanation would not be taken for an excuse, "the Musk and the Joketsuzoku are ever on guard against the use of Jusenkyo curses by enemy spies, so I acquired the Chisuiiton from the lackeys of Prince Herb of the Musk and used it to lock the curses given to my agents.

"After acquiring it, we discovered that the Musk had awakened a dragon, and I fear they may intend to use it to help them recover the Chisuiiton and prevent us from acquiring its counterpart, the Kaisuifuu, which will be needed to unlock the agent's curses, when their missions are completed," Kiima finished, trying not to cringe.

Behind the curtain, Herb stood wide eyed in disbelief at Kiima's report. _They stole the Chisuiiton, too? Their arrogance is unbelievable!_ Herb thought, suddenly understanding why the Musk still considered themselves at war with the Hououjin, in spite of the fact that generations had passed between battles. Even more infuriating, she could not make good on her escape until she located and retrieved the sacred relic.

At the same time, Saffron could not help staring at Kiima in surprise. Closing his eyes and looking up, he resisted the urge to blow up. Instead, once he had squelched the impulse, he asked, in mild confusion, "How could you use the Chisuiiton to lock the men's hot water curses?"

"Well, having confirmed that the curse was lifted from the Nyanniichuan, our 'female' spies had to be created using instant curses. When we established that the ladle could lock instant curses, we did the same with our men" Kiima explained. Then she processed his question again and stared at him in shock. "How do you know about the hot-water curse?"

Saffron shrugged and looked away a bit guiltily, gesturing towards the adjoining audience chamber, "I was in the next room when your scout told you about it."

Kiima's mouth fell open, and her mind quickly worked out the implications. She stepped to the door and ordered one of the guards to fetch a kettle of hot water. When she turned around, Saffron was giving her a knowing look. She knew then that the hot water would only confirm what she had immediately suspected. With a sigh, she groaned, "You did. Why?"

Saffron shrugged, "Even if I had known about my Ascension, it would have been too late for dealing with this new phoenix. She is practically a child, herself, but I dared not confront her like this. I needed to be a man, for her sake, to give her a chance to accept what we cannot let her refuse."

Kiima did not need a full explanation. Saffron himself had been slain at one point in the past to keep him from abdicating the throne of Mount Phoenix. They would not hesitate to put down a foreign born incarnation of a full-blooded phoenix. "I see."

Saffron heaved a deep sigh and nodded. "I am not happy to hear that the Musk have raised a dragon against me, but we can worry about that problem when it rears its head. For now, however, Ranko is close at hand."

"Ranko?" Kimma voiced her confusion.

"According to my informant, that is what the current incarnation of Fa Shen calls herself," Saffron revealed, with a nod toward his guest in the adjoining room.

Right at that moment, alarms began to ring, repeated from the depths of the mountain. Kiima jumped to the door and dispatched one of the guards to get a full report on the situation. "We have intruders, My Lord. I would guess it's the Musk, here to get the damn locking ladle back!"

"Wait for the report, Captain. It could just as well be the Joketsuzoku," Saffron advised, giving a rueful shake of his head before adding, "no doubt led by Ranko."

"My Lord?" Kiima returned once more in confusion.

"My informant did not return with me voluntarily, I am afraid," he replied with an impish grin, before describing his encounter with Herb at Jusenkyo.

Kiima groaned. "So now the Amazons, including this Ranko, have a reason to go to war with us too." It was hard to believe that so much could go wrong in one day. "I just hope that when we inform her of her relationship to you, she will stand down and embrace her ties to us." According to the Hououjin Archives, the Joketsuzoku had not known Pa Shen and Fa Shen's true nature, but the Musk had. Since it was possible Ranko had been among the Musk, she might have learned her true heritage by now, if she did not know it as Fa Shen. Either way, Saffron was the only other of her kind, and hopefully that would be enough to win her over, and through her gain an alliance with the Joketsuzoku.

A guard entered, announcing himself with, "Captain Kiima, I have the hot water you requested."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Leave it here and wait for me outside," Kiima instructed, gesturing for him to place the kettle on her desk. When he had done that, and bowed his way out the door, Kiima turned her attention back to Saffron. "At least now I know why you were wearing those ridiculously baggy clothes, My Lord. I take it they fit well enough in your other form?"

Saffron looked at the clothes he was practically swimming in. He was used to loose robes with sleeves extended to the floor, but no one would have mistaken what he was wearing for ceremonial garb. "I suppose I need to dip a few outfits into the spring of drowned child," he commented.

"Would that really work?" Kiima asked in surprise.

"Not without special preparations," Saffron informed her. "Infusing the cloth with my ki and binding it with a spell," he elaborated, as he reached for the kettle and tipped it over his head. He adjusted his body as it expanded to ensure that the clothes did not bunch or bind, and then set the kettle back on the table. He quickly appraised his adult body, confiding, "I am not as powerful in this form as I would be following Ascension, but my memory is more complete. I have enough power and experience to deal with the Musk and their dragon."

"I am pleased to hear it, My Lord," Kiima breathed, unable to conceal her shock at seeing this adult and wingless Saffron. He looked so much like the lover he had once been to her, before his swift decline and rebirth. Because of his lingering affection for her, she had become his guardian in addition to being the Captain of his Guard. The odd look he gave in response to hers made her suspect that his memories of their old affair had not been restored. She bowed her head formally, hiding the blush that burned on her face.

"Let's go confront our intruders, then, Captain. Instruct the guard to have any captives brought before me—and be clear, I expect them to be alive," Saffron instructed, adding, "I will fetch our guest. If they have come to her rescue, it would improve our negotiations to have her present." His announcement gave Herb enough warning to retreat to the spot she had been ordered not to stray from before he breezed through the curtains and took her by the arm with a curt, "Come with me."

* * *

In spite of her best efforts, Ranko was having little success using the Umisenken to mask her presence while trying to fly; it simply took too much power. Checking the position of the sun, she noted that it was not helping the time to pass any faster, either. It was still hours before dark, and she was afraid that Herb could not afford for her to wait for the cover of darkness. Having been abducted by strange men a few times, Ranko did not have a hard time imagining the trouble Herb might be in, stuck against her will in female form with her powers at less than full strength. Ranko did not know much about Saffron, except that Cinnamon mentioned him as an example of an immortal who might attempt to conquer her. He had to at least be in the same league as Herb, at full-strength in male form, and the Jusenkyou Guide had clearly expected Saffron to kill Herb; the abduction had been out of character for him.

It did not make Ranko feel very optimistic about Herb's situation. Thanks to the fight with Taro, she was confident that she had the power to deal with Saffron, but if she was forced to fight her way through an army of Hououjin, she would lose the element of surprise and he would be able to use Herb as a hostage. If she were not worried about that, she might have tried to simply walk in and demand an audience, playing on their relationship to negotiate for Herb's release.

That only way that would work was if she could think like Nabiki, but not even her experiences as Fa Shen gave her that ability.

Fortunately, she had perched herself on the nearest peak to Mount Phoenix studying the Hououjin fortifications while she contemplated the problem, and noticed all of the scouts on patrol suddenly turn about and fly inside, as if summoned. "Something's up," she guessed in excitement, recognizing the opportunity.

With no patrols to spot her, Ranko was willing to risk a fast flight. Wasting no time, she launched herself into the air and rocketed across the gap between the perch she abandoned and an open entrance in the side of Mount Phoenix. As she came closer, she could hear the alarms that the patrolling bird-men had responded to, and her grin grew even more fierce. "A distraction!" she cried out in triumph.

As she landed on a balcony and darted forward to conceal herself from view, no one called out a challenge. She hoped that meant no one had noticed her arrival. In order to subdue the power of the circuit, she had to call upon her normal ki, which did not have an arousing effect and allowed her to use the Umisenken to mask her presence and become virtually invisible.

With her body's normal ki flow restored, she found it easier to sense what had happened to her during the fight with Taro. She remembered the sensation of breaking free of confinement, of obstacles and obstructions being cleared and washed away while new channels within her opened up. The fight with Taro had finished what her fight with Herb had started, rerouting and streamlining all the ki pathways in her body, making it easier for her to handle the full power of the circuit.

It did not protect her from the arousing effect, but oddly, calling upon the normal ki of her body was like a splash of cold water, snapping her out of that aroused state and arresting the flow of circuit. With the circuit closed, she was nowhere near as powerful as she had been with the circuit open, but she was vastly more powerful than she had ever been without the circuit.

Ranko resisted the urge to try and find out just how powerful she was, with the circuit closed. She definitely needed to test the new limits of her strength, but for now she had to focus on the mission at hand. Having pierced the outer defenses successfully, she could now rely on stealth to locate Herb and preserve the element of surprise.

Since she had not seen anyone mounting an attack on the mountain from the outside, Ranko suspected that the commotion that had raised all the alarms was probably Herb trying to escape. In that case, the fastest way to find her would probably be to follow the Hououjin converging on the battle. "Just hold out a little longer, Herb. I'm on my way," she murmured, putting her plan into action.

* * *

Taro had known where Ranko would go when he gave up the chase. He had not expected her allies to track him down and flush him out of the cave, but once he escaped from Ryu, he resumed his pursuit of Ranko. It had not been difficult to catch up to her and use the same distraction to follow her inside Mount Phoenix.

Once inside, he reverted to human form, being careful to avoid detection as he stalked her. He had lost sight of her the moment she had entered the mountain, but her scent had been branded into his brain. Even in human form, he would be able to track her down in a place like this. He did not want to think about why he was following her, but it was hard to avoid. Whatever Ranko had done to Taro, it had opened his eyes and forced him to see things differently; some things, maybe even more clearly.

Where he would have refused to give Ranko the benefit of the doubt before, what he had learned during the fight had changed his outlook. As hard as it was to imagine, he had been convinced of the change in Ranko. She was as female in mind as she was in body; granted, Ranma was still in there somewhere, but if he had heard Ranko right, that side was locked away.

Not that it mattered to Taro. As someone who had grown up with a curse, Taro was accustomed to seeing the cursed side of a person as being as real as the normal side. His contempt for Ranma had been inspired as much by Ranma's rejection of the Nyanniichuan curse as by the way Ranma had mocked Taro about his name. Ranma's curse had been his weakness, so Taro had retaliated by mocking Ranma's femininity.

"I had you totally wrong, Saotome," he admitted softly, to himself, as he paused at a corner to let a pair of bird-men go by. Once they had, he continued on, following his nose while letting his thoughts chase her down in different ways.

Taro had not been prepared for Ranma to embrace his girl side. In his disbelief, however, he had taken his mocking too far, all but threatening to rape her. He knew he could be a real bastard at times, but he was not that kind of bastard. The truth was, he was actually very protective of women. He could not count the number of times he had come to some girl's rescue.

The girls all seemed to take a fast liking to him, but because of the shame of his disastrous naming—his true curse, as far as he was concerned—he had never been able to risk a relationship with any of them. Everything would be going perfect, but as soon as the girl asked who he was, he was forced to walk away. The instant a girl heard his name she would think he was some kind of pervert.

Even though Ranko—it was hard not to think of Ranma that way now—did not hesitate to call him a pervert to his face, the insult had the same feel as Taro's own goads. They were intended as insults, deliberate jabs from one opponent to another. Taro was no more a pervert than he was a rapist, and deep down Ranko knew that too. Their fights would have gone very differently if she had seen him as a real monster.

Ranma had always seemed odd to Taro. In spite of his curse, or because of it—who knew?—Ranma had been even more popular with the girls than Taro. He had dozens of them chasing after him, and never made a move on one. If anything, Ranma should have had an advantage, knowing what it was like to be a girl. But, maybe Ranma had been too much of a girl, man-among-men nonsense aside.

Maybe Ranma had not picked a girl because deep down he—or rather, she—was waiting for the right guy to sweep her off her feet. Taro might not think much of his chances, pursuing Ranko, if he felt that any of those girls stood a chance of winning her. There were probably a dozen guys chasing her, as well. If they were all like Ryu, Taro smirked, then maybe he had a chance.

If Ranko was like most girls, where it counted, then Taro was the one thing she could not resist, a true scoundrel. It was worth risking a beating—and a few more of those orgasmic ki attacks she had used on him earlier—to find out. Everything that made Ranma a good catch for a girl made Ranko as much of a prize for any guy.

* * *

As Ranko followed Hououjin warriors deeper into the mountain, dodging a steady stream of Hououjin women, children and elders trying to get clear of the battle, she could not help feeling a little sympathy at seeing them driven from their homes. When powerful people made bad decisions, it was always the regular people who suffered for it. She would not have imagined this large a community could reside within Mount Phoenix. The steep spire had apparently been hollowed out and reshaped into a kind of city-state, creating room enough to house the entire Hououjin race.

In addition to tunnels designed for normal foot traffic, there were tall, open air shafts and vaulted chambers running vertically between levels for winged traffic. The complex convolutions of the shafts and tunnels were disorienting, and if she had not had the warriors to lead the way, Ranko thought she would quickly have become as lost as Ryouga crossing his own backyard!

Soon enough, though, the sounds of combat could be heard, and the winged warriors slowed down to join the others already crowding the corridor. Ranko had to stop, scaling the wall and bracing herself between the corridor's ceiling supports to get out of the press of bodies and see over their heads. Even before she could see who they were fighting, Ranko knew it had to be more than just Herb.

Just as Ranko was unable to see clearly past the overwhelming hoard of Hououjin warriors, her embattled friends could not see her. Even if they could, their attention would have been too focused on the fight. It had only been about fifteen minutes since the alarm had been raised and the bird-people started swarming, but every second of it had been a fiercely pitched battle.

Cologne assumed that someone had stumbled across one of the Hououjin they'd left unconscious in the wake of their passage. A few moments after the alarm sounded, they had been spotted by scouts flitting rapidly through the stone corridors. In ones or twos, the winged warriors had the advantage of speed and mobility, flashing past in the blink of an eye, but in larger groups, the wings were proving to be a disadvantage in the confined space of the tunnels.

As she had expected, the Hououjin were all armed and using their weapons with lethal intent. So far, the swift and nimble martial artists had been able to charge forward, delivering subduing blows while dancing past swords and spears to quickly take out the supporting ranks of archers before they could unleash a storm of arrows. Likewise, the Amazons and Nerimans prevented an equally dangerous rain of darts and knives by pitching their immediate opponents into Hououjin with throwing weapons at hand. Cologne directed the fierce and agile females, coordinating their attacks while darting among them guarding their backs against stray attacks from foes they had bypassed.

"Ryouga! Hit them hard! Do not hold back!" Cologne was particularly concerned for the two former boys in the group. Ryouga and Mirror had never been in a serious fight while in female form. While fighting at long range, they were fine, but at close range they were in greater danger. Although it was obvious that they were taking full advantage of their smaller, lighter and agile forms, they suffered from the lesser reach and lower strength.

"I hate being weak!" Ryouga snarled, fangs bared in fury. An enemy foot lashed in through the opening created by her frustrated outburst, smashing into the side of her face. Whipping around, she flung her own foot out, transferring momentum into her return kick. Ryouga could still absorb more damage than most, but just did not hit as hard. Nor could she use her usual ki attack; a shishihokodan would just turn her into a piglet. She only had so many bandannas she could throw and had to use her bakusai tenketsu sparingly, or risk collapsing the tunnels they were fighting in.

"Feh! I have never relied on pure, brute strength!" Mirror had her usual arsenal of dirty tricks, effective at long range or up close and personal, and she also had her new ki attack. Along with perfect eyesight, it was one of the two perks of being trapped in female form. Like Ryouga, however, too many of her blows came up short or hit too lightly.

One of the Hououjin batted aside the weighted net Mirror flung at him and lunged forward with his other hand to seize her around the neck. Before the bird-man could crush her throat, Ukyo pirouetted into position and slammed her mega-spatula down over his head, shouting, "Keep your claws to yourself!"

Ukyou was in top form, but her style of martial art was not meant for fighting in a group at close quarters. She had to watch and wait for the right opening to strike, using her big spatula more to defend herself and shield the others. Her throwing spatulas were running out fast, and her hand-to-hand fighting skills were about on par with Akane's. Of course, once she thought of it, Akane was significantly better at taking on large, if relatively unskilled, groups. "They're pressing in too tight!"

"Shampoo clear hole!" Shampoo declared, using her bonbori at close quarters. In some respects, she was at the same disadvantage as Ukyo, but combined with the full range of her combat skills she was unstoppable; at least until she was splashed with water.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" echoed ahead of the flood, as Ryouga launched herself at the ceiling to intercept the charge of a dozen fresh Hououjin. The explosion of shrapnel accompanied the sudden deluge of water from a pipe that had broken as the corridor ceiling was shattered. Shampoo wiggled out of the pile of damp clothes and kept fighting with claws and fangs, darting from foe to foe to avoid retaliation; if the enemy got their hands on her, she was done for.

Ukyo had managed to whip her mega-spatula up in time to deflect the water gushing toward her and step clear of the spray.

"Forward! Now, while they're stunned!" Cologne commanded, urging her charges up the passage, doing a perfect impression of Happosai engaging dozens of opponents at once, taking advantage of her small stature, exceptional experience and formidable skill to be wherever she was needed to protect her companions and attack their foes.

Ranko had heard Ryouga cry out the name of the breaking-point special attack, but remained frozen in surprised disbelief for a moment. It was possible, given the female voice, that it was some other Amazon. Then again, it was just like Ryouga to turn up unexpectedly in the last place he ought to be. "Ryouga!" Ranko called out, "Is that you?"

Ranko stared in disbelief as Ryouga, Mirror and Ukyo exploded out of the dust cloud, clobbering Hououjin as they advanced. Cologne burst through next, perched on top of her walking stick, and regarding the red-head in mild surprise, "Ranko! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue Herb," Ranko responded, giving each of them a quick look. "What are you guys doing here?" With her attention focused on Cologne, Ranko did not notice Shampoo jumping up at her, she simply caught the cat in her arms by reflex. Then she looked down, right into Shampoo's adoring, feline eyes. Ranko's eyes widened and her pig-tail shot straight up as her body went stone stiff.

For an instant, Cologne considered taking advantage of the situation, to unleash the Neko-ken on the Hououjin. Unfortunately, there was no time. They were hip deep in enemies and they would act before Ranko's fear peaked, while she was still paralyzed. Before the winged warriors could take advantage of the situation, Cologne barked at Mirror, "Quick! Give me the compact!"

"Here," Mirror acquiesced, slapping the compact into Cologne's palm.

Cologne snapped the trap mirror open and thrust it in front of Shampoo's nose. "Inside, Great-granddaughter! Quickly!"

Ranko blinked in mild incoherence as she felt the cat's claws pluck at her shirt when Shampoo was whisked out of her arms and into the compact. In spite of Cologne's swift action, the distraction had been too great. While Ranko and her friends were all caught off guard by their unexpected reunion, the Hououjin defenders had recovered. Ranko and her friends were each seized by several warriors, with a knife or sword blade pressed to their necks.

"Surrender or die!" a bruised and infuriated Hououjin commanded.

Cologne snapped the compact closed and made it vanish up her sleeve as she turned around to face him. "No one move," she instructed the teens, firmly, "they will not hesitate to slit your throats." Pausing to make sure none of the young martial artists misunderstood her warning, Cologne looked each of them in the eye, turning last to Ranko. "Do you understand me?"

Ranko stared into the old woman's eyes, seeing the depth of Cologne's seriousness. It was a look Ranma would not have understood, but Fa Shen could read it. Cologne was telling her that the Hououjin were not just ruthless warriors; they were ruthless people. They would take advantage of any weakness to achieve their own ends. "I get it," she sighed. Ranko had to keep the Hououjin, especially Lord Saffron, from realizing how important her friends were to her.

Cologne nodded, satisfied with the understanding she had seen in Ranko's eyes. Turning to the Hououjin who had addressed them, she conceded, "You have our surrender. Withdraw your blades and we will go peacefully."

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 08 _

_Author's Note: It was never my intention to let years go by between updates. Unfortunately, life has a way of turning impossible. I made the decision to return to school and earn a degree that would help me find the kind of job and income I needed to do more than just scrape by. As a result, for the next five years, I was stuck working for much less than a living while devoting most of my free time to school. I suppose I could have kept up with the story. I was just barely clinging to my sanity, though. I mean, there was no hope of going through transition, no hope short of a miracle of ever being "me" and that took its toll on me. Reflections suffered because I really could not stand telling the story of a person whose "curse" would be my salvation. The only way I could have kept up with the writing would have been by making a living at it. You can't do that with fanfiction, though. It's taken far too long, but I've got my degree, I've got back more of my free time, and I really do want to finish this story. _


	9. Part 09: Captive Audiences

Captive Audiences

* * *

When the rain started again, Lime took Ryu's transformation in stride. He simply grunted and shouldered the pack Ryu rapidly stuffed his clothes into before the change could sweep over him. One of the first things Ryu had resented about being cursed had been the loss of speech. Thus, he found himself astonished at how well he could communicate with Lime; the Musk warrior seemed capable of reading his mind, though in truth he simply understood the body language of tigers. Unfortunately, the questions Ryu wanted to ask could not be conveyed through posture. There were things he wanted to ask about Ranko and Herb, about her involvement with the Musk Prince, about her motive for going to Herb's rescue. Things he had not known how to ask the loyal henchman. Having lost the opportunity, Ryu pushed his curiosity aside and followed Lime as he made his grim and determined way through the foothills of Phoenix Mountain.

The pace the Musk warrior set was far from an all out sprint; it was more of a ground devouring lope that ensured they would arrive at their destination at full strength. When their path took them to the top of a hill, Ryu caught a glimpse of the elusive form of the dragon, Cinnamon, combing the hills in search of Ranko. Ryu doubted Ranko would be found anywhere short of Mount Phoenix itself; if the girl was anything like the Ranma Ryu knew, she would not hang back when someone she knew was in need of rescue. On the other hand, the dragon might simply be making sure Ranko had not been intercepted by Taro again.

The thought of Taro pursuing Ranko to carry out on his threats made Ryu grind his teeth in frustration. He could only hope he caught up to her before the cursed chimera did.

Mint caught up to Lime and Ryu as they arrived at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. Lime gestured for Ryu to wait as he turned to Mint, waiting for the smaller boy to catch his breath after sprinting all the way from the Musk Fortress far across the Jusenkyo valley. When Mint caught his breath, he clasped the hand Lime held out to him companionably. "I'm glad I caught up before you could go in," Mint confessed, with a slightly worried look. "Prince Herb is going to be very unhappy with us!"

"He is already very displeased," Lime noted miserably.

"As the great dragon, Cinnamon, instructed," Mint began, his tone conveying dire news, "I have informed our Prince's father, Emperor Spice, of Prince Herb's abduction." As Ranko had suggested, Lime and Mint had already reported the theft of the Chisuiiton and how that led to the discovery of the loss of Herb's manhood, prompting Herb to visit Jusenkyo. Delivering the additional bad news had been very unpleasant. "In response, Emperor Spice has ordered the Musk to prepare for war with the Hououjin and set off immediately for Phoenix Mountain."

"This is bad news," Lime growled.

Mint held up a hand, indicating that there was more. "I also informed Emperor Spice that Ranko is still pursuing Herb, intent on rescuing her, and that she encountered and fought Taro," he paused to shrug with a wry smile, "I, uh, left out the part where Taro captured her and fled. As far as he knows, Ranko was simply delayed briefly and has resumed her search for Prince Herb."

"That pleased His Majesty?" Lime prompted, looking faintly hopeful.

Mint sighed, "I, too, thought Emperor Spice would be pleased to hear that Prince Herb's fiancée has shown such concern and loyalty. I fear, however, that the loss of Prince Herb's manhood changes things. His Majesty spoke of formally invoking a war pact with the great dragon, Cinnamon, should any harm befall Herb before Ranko reaches her."

Lime bit his lip. "Her. Is that the word His Majesty used?"

Mint nodded. "He has begun thinking of Herb as his daughter again." The same thing had happened shortly after Herb was originally cursed, and locked into female form. It was almost inevitable that a man from a culture that would accept an animal cursed by the Nyanniichuan as a bride would perceive a son cursed by that spring as a daughter.

"Prince Herb is going to kill us," Lime declared forlornly. Even though Ranko and her friends were responsible for destroying Herb's male form, it had been Lime and Mint who caused the truth to come out.

"Perhaps the bird-men will save him the trouble," Mint sighed, gesturing for the three of them to resume their march up the enemy's mountain.

They took a head on approach to reaching Herb, ascending Phoenix Mountain, entering through the normally unguarded lower entrance and allowing themselves to be taken captive by the guards the surrounded them before they could go much further. Since Lime and Mint assumed Herb was a prisoner, it was the easiest way to find Herb. Then, all they needed to do was break out of whatever prison they were put in and fight their way back out of the mountain.

Having been stuck in tiger form before their capture, Ryu was mistaken for Lime's pet. The winged warrior in charge threatened, "Keep your animal under control or Lord Saffron will be getting a fine, new rug."

At a gesture from the massive Musk warrior, Ryu stopped bristling at the bird-men. He paced quietly beside the burly Musk warrior as Lime and Mint were escorted at spear-point up endless stairs and corridors deeper into Mount Phoenix. It was not hard to see that the Hououjin were in an uproar. The patrols they passed expressed surprise at the capture of a pair of Musk Warriors. From the reaction of the guards, and the comments they exchanged, it was clear that the Hououjin believed themselves under surprise attack by the Amazons. It was not hard for Ryu to imagine how Ranko might trick them into thinking they faced more than one foe.

The guards had sent word ahead, so Captain Kiima was waiting for them when they arrived at the block of cells where they were to be detained. Before she approached them, she conferred with one of her underlings for a moment. Unlike the guards that had captured them, Kiima did not seem at all surprised to see them. "I was expecting the two of you to show up," Kiima acknowledged with a note of vindication. "I assume you are here to retrieve the Chisuiiton. I can't believe you were foolish enough to just walk right in to demand its return. I assume you have a message from your so-called emperor, no doubt threatening to send the dragon up against us if we refuse to comply."

Lime and Mint exchanged glances, punctuated by raised eyebrows as they each noticed what Kiima had not said, while trying to impress them with her deductive ability. Although neither of them was precisely brilliant, Lime and Mint were cunning enough to play along, sensing that the Hououjin must not know who they held captive. If they had any idea, they would have realized that Lime and Mint's first impulse would have been to demand the release of Prince Herb.

Lime gave his partner a slight nod, and when they returned their attention to Kiima, Mint spoke for them, "Did you honestly think you could commit an act of war against the Musk and not face serious consequences? If you wish to avoid war, you would be wise to return the Chisuiiton to us. In exchange, you might even be allowed to receive some water from the Kaisuifuu, if you hope to free anyone you have locked into cursed form. Assuming you were foolish enough to risk using the ladle when you did not possess the means to counter it."

Kiima cocked her head to the side. She was not about to explain that she had no choice but to use the Chisuiiton in spite of failing to capture the Kaisuifuu. The man who informed her of Lime and Mint's capture had already told her they did not have the kettle on them, so it was safe to assume it had been hidden where only the most trusted members of the Musk Dynasty could find it. Her spies among the Musk would have great difficulty recovering it. If she wanted to return her underlings to normal and prevent a war with the Musk, it would be easier to return the ladle in exchange for the use of the kettle. "Perhaps you are not as stupid as your reputations suggest," she conceded with a slight nod. With a wave of dismissal, she amended, "I may be inclined to negotiate the return of the ladle for the use of the kettle. It was not my intention to provoke a war with your people. I had need for the locking ladle and did not have time to waste negotiating for its use. However, now is not a good time to sort this out, so I must regretfully detain you two for a short while."

Mint crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with a cocky grin. "Too busy fending off Amazons, eh?" he challenged. "What did you do to make them mad at you?"

Kiima crossed her own arms and glared back, assuming that he was implying that an Amazon raid could the Hououjin vulnerable to a Musk attack. "That is none of your concern," Kiima retorted, dropping her hands to her hips. A guard coughed softly to get her attention, informing her with a gesture that Lord Saffron was approaching. She acknowledged him with a slight nod and turned back to the henchmen, to excuse herself, "I am needed elsewhere. We'll resolve this when I return."

A few minutes after Kiima left the cell block, Lord Saffron entered, dismissing the guards posted in the corridor. Ryu could not help the growl inspired by the sight of the individual responsible for cursing him. Saffron stared at the tiger, one eyebrow raised in vindictive thought as he mused on the fates that brought Ryu back into his hands. With a slight huff, he decided that it no longer mattered that Ryu witnessed his visit to Jusenkyo. Dismissing Ryu, Saffron turned his attention to the Musk warriors.

Lime and Mint regarded the phoenix lord in stern silence. It was all but impossible to resist the urge to demand to see their prince or ask what the enemy had done to her. Mint managed to bite his tongue, but Lime blurted, "You have something that belongs to us!"

Saffron met their glares calmly. "I have as much claim to the treasures of the Musk as any of you," he retorted, in casual reference to his own paternity. "That is of minor importance right now. You are the personal retainers of Prince Herb. I have questions for you concerning recent events you have witnessed. Answer me honestly, and I will instruct Kiima to negotiate the return of the Chisuiiton."

Ryu paced around the cell, avoiding the space Lime and Mint occupied at the front of the cell. His mind churned through the catalogue of martial arts techniques he knew, searching for a way to escape that cage.

"What do you wish to know?" Lime demanded warily, giving the bars in front of him a slow twist, warping the metal.

Saffron ignored the display of strength, glancing into Ryu's tiger eyes. "As you no doubt already know, I visited Jusenkyo this morning and defeated an Amazon maiden in combat," he began, shifting his focus to the men and watching their eyes change from wary to suspicious. "When she regained consciousness, she answered my questions about the rumor of Fa Shen's resurrection. Your prince challenged her to a marriage duel, is this true?"

Lime and Mint nodded, fighting to hide their relief at hearing Saffron had mistaken Herb for an Amazon.

"Tell me what happened," Saffron commanded.

Lime looked at Mint, who licked his lips and considered what to say. There had to be enough truth to fit the facts Saffron could have heard from other sources, he realized. Taking a deep breath, and running his hand through his hair, before resettling his wolf-skin cap, he said, "It's kind of complicated. Our Prince was commanded by his father to pursue a boy who was cursed in the image of Fa Shen and marry, er, her. He did not know that Ranma was actually the reincarnation of Fa Shen until they met last week at Jusenkyo. Herb issued his challenge to the part that was Fa Shen, but their first fight was interrupted. By the time Herb issued his final challenge, Fa Shen and Ranma were fused together as Ranko."

Saffron nodded to indicate an understanding of the shifts in identity Mint did not understand well enough to explain in more detail.

Shrugging, Mint continued, "Prince Herb defeated Ranko. Or so we all thought, at first. After the fight, we discovered that Herb sustained too much damage…"

Saffron waited for Mint to complete his thought, before interjecting. "Then it's true? Prince Herb was mortally wounded?"

Mint looked down, allowing genuine grief fill his voice, "The man we served… is no more." Privately, he prayed that his Prince might one day be restored to his proper form, but at this moment it was a relief to know those words were technically true. It occurred to him that if the Hououjin had known of Herb's curse, Saffron would have guessed who Herb really was by now.

Oblivious to the ongoing deception, Saffron pressed on to the question that truly interested him. "And is it true that Ranko considers herself to be a man? Even with the memories of Fa Shen, she clings to this 'Ranma's' notions of manhood?"

Mint considered that. His ignorance of women, in general, made this a difficult question. As far as he understood, the only thing that distinguished women from men was the possession of breasts. He could not fathom how anyone who had breast would want to get rid of them, but both Herb and Ranma had fought to regain their manhood. More important, even though Herb had lost his manhood, he probably still wanted to marry Ranko, so naturally Herb would have tried to discourage Saffron's interest in Ranko. "That sounds about right. I don't really know that much about women," he admitted, "but she fought every time to turn back into a man."

Saffron sighed, somewhat relieved at the confirmation of Herb's story, if disappointed about what that meant for his plans for Ranko. Though part of him insisted on waiting until he met Ranko, to find out directly from her if the story was true, it was clear that the impression others had of her was unpromising. "Thank you for answering my questions. I must deal with the Amazons, but once I am done, I will return with Captain Kiima to negotiate the return of the Chisuiiton," Saffron told them, before turning his back on them and making his way back to the prison annex.

"The Amazons await you, Lord Saffron," Kiima announced as he emerged from the cell block. "There is a girl who bears the look of Fa Shen with them," she added, referring to Ranko. "As you instructed, they were escorted to your 'guest's' quarters." Kiima was not happy about it, but Saffron had assured her that it was necessary if they were to avert a war with the Amazons.

"Excellent. Come. It's time I introduced myself," Saffron proposed, urging Kiima into motion. When he received word that the group of Amazons had been captured, he had taken Herb aside and asked her to explain the situation to them, turning a potential act of war into a simple misunderstanding.

* * *

It had been mortifying to surrender to the Hououjin, and Ranko was sure that Cologne felt it even more keenly. Ryouga and Mirror endured the humiliation with bitter familiarity, and Ukyo surrendered her mega-spatula with tired resignation. Their spirits lifted a bit as they found themselves lead out of the rough cut warren of tunnels into better surroundings. Utilitarian passages gave way to vaulted, columned hallways, artfully sculpted balconies and bridges decorating the cavernous spaces inside the mountain. The quality and refinement of the stone work and tapestries steadily improved until there was no question they were being delivered into palatial splendor. Cologne's look became speculative as the teens stared about in growing awe. Ranko took it as a sign that the Hououjin had recognized her, and assumed that her relationship to Saffron had earned them the royal treatment.

Ranko kept the thought to herself, however, since their guards' attitudes remained crisp and hostile. The warning from Cologne had discouraged the unexpected impulse to grab Ryouga's hand and give it a comforting squeeze, or ask where Akane and her mother were, or greet Ukyo with a reassuring smile, or confront Mirror to demand an explanation for her failure to fly the people she cared about to safety. She simply had to hope that Akane and her mother were both safe inside the compact, and that her friends knew how worried and happy she was at seeing them again.

Before long, they were escorted into a royal suite, where they were asked to make themselves comfortable before the guards excused themselves, closing the doors behind them. Ranko turned to confront Cologne and her friends with her questions, "What are you doing in Phoenix Mountain? You were all supposed to be halfway to Japan by now! Are Mom and Akane in the compact with Shampoo? Are they okay?"

"It's a long story, Ranko," Cologne told her, cutting through the babble of responses from the other teens, "and this is not a good place to delve into it. Everyone's fine for the moment, and your mother, at least, is safely away with Cinnamon."

Mirror ignored the risk of being spied on by their captors, more worried that Ranko would hold her responsible for failing to live up to her promise. "I was ambushed by a Hououjin after Cinnamon left us with your mother," she volunteered, revealing that her captor was a scout sent to spy on the dragon, who though a duck would make a nice meal. "I waited until we were alone to subdue her and let everyone out."

Ranko frowned but nodded in understanding, quickly checking that Ryouga and Ukyo were both okay, before asking, "What did Cinnamon want with my Mom?"

"We thought your Mother would be the best choice for waking you out of the Neko-ken," Cologne confessed, smoothing her robes and checking that the compact was still secure. She wanted to check on Shampoo and Akane, but did not want to give away the secret of the trap mirror to unseen observers.

Ranko winced, remembering how her inner cat had been provoked and disturbed by how it responded to her fear of dragons when Cinnamon probed her mind. Then, when she was surprised by Cinnamon in full, dragon form, she had felt _safer_ in the arms of a monster that had threatened to rape her! "It's gonna take a lot more than my Mom to fix that problem," she complained apprehensively.

Before Ranko could decide what to do next, she heard a gasp as the curtains to the chamber behind her parted.

"Ranko? What are you doing here?" Prince Herb wondered aloud. Her surprise was underscored by a strange feeling of triumph undermined by dread. However comforting and encouraging it was to know that Ranko had no doubt come to her rescue, nothing good could come from a confrontation between Ranko and Saffron. "What are _they_ doing here?" she demanded, unable to imagine why Ranko would bring her friends and Amazon allies into this.

"Herb! You're okay!" Ranko exclaimed, with a quick, head to toe examination. Noticing that the dragon-blooded girl held herself with an uncharacteristic vulnerability, Ranko grew concerned, "What did that jerk do to you?"

Herb blinked, startled as the memory of Saffron's kiss leapt instantly to mind, and stammered, "He… he… I…. We…." The words failed to come to her as fury, shame and disgust warred within her. Swallowing hard and turning away, she fought to regain her composure. "There isn't time," she announced, worried that Saffron would show up at any moment, assuming that she would have resolved the 'misunderstanding' about her abduction.

"Since you're here, you must have heard what happened," she guessed, rushing into the short version of her tale. "Saffron was coming out of the Nanniichuan when I arrived at Jusenkyo, and we got into a fight. He mistook me for an Amazon, knocked me out instead of killing me on the spot, and brought me here to ask me about you, Ranko. I tried to convince him you wouldn't make a good bride, and ended up encouraging him to accept his 'conquest' of me. I have until he shows up to convince you I gave him the kiss of marriage and went with him to consummate our union," Herb blabbed, forcing it all out as if it would be less painful that way.

"Wha-a-a-t!" Ranko cried out in chorus with her friends.

"You must be joking," Cologne challenged in dry disbelief. It was hard to imagine anything more absurdly ironic than a Musk prince, turned princess, being claimed by the Hououjin demigod as an Amazon bride. From the chagrined look on the white-tressed girl's face, Cologne realized that Herb was not making it up. "I hope, by stressing your need to _convince_ us, that you have not, in fact, consummated such a union!"

"I… well, he did kiss me," Herb admitted with bitter embarrassment, "but that's all!"

"You didn't… uh, kiss him back, right?" Ranko coaxed, wincing in apprehension. When Herb blushed deeply, and gnawed on her lip instead of answering, Ranko turned to Cologne. "It totally doesn't count, right? Right?"

Cologne stared back open mouthed for a moment before answering, "Certainly not!" Then she considered the circumstances. "At least, not as far as Prince Herb is concerned. But, if he keeps posing as an Amazon to protect his true identity… the longer this deception lasts, the worse it will be when Saffron discovers the truth."

Herb bowed her head, hunching in on herself as she muttered, "Oh, that's not the worst."

"There's worse? How?" Ranko demanded.

"My father might see the advantage of Saffron's interest in me," Herb admitted forlornly, meeting Ranko's gaze through a veil of white hair. "With the loss of my true form, and the damage to my ki, I might be stuck like this forever. It might not matter to Saffron that I was born male if I am unable to change back; especially since that would make me a 'princess' of the Musk. My father would not hesitate to force me into a political union to end centuries of hostility with the Hououjin."

Ranko did not know what to say to that. It occurred to her that it was one way to get out of marrying Herb, but it would be hard to live with herself if she let it happen. Frowning, she shook her head. "No way. Not gonna happen, Herb. You're gonna get your manhood back, same as me, and Saffron's not gonna want to marry either of us!" she declared with confidence.

Herb shook her head. "I am afraid that what Saffron wants has more to do with politics and power than any personal interest in you _or_ me. What he needs is an heir. To get that, he'll need a politically suitable bride. That would be you; or _me _if my father gives him that option. I don't think he was discouraged by anything I said about your experiences and attitudes as Ranma until I revealed that your curse could no longer be permanently locked," Herb confided, raising her head to give Ranko a level gaze. "Once it was clear that no one could stop you from being a man, he began to worry about you asserting your manhood."

"Wait. Hold on a sec," Ranko held up her hand. "Saffron's a phoenix. He's immortal. What in the world does he need an heir for?"

Herb sighed. "I had to start thinking about the politics of marriage when my father ordered me to pursue Ranma. I argued with him, but he countered all of my objections, explaining the obligations of a ruler to his people, foremost of which is to ensure the continuity of government and the preservation of its power. It is the position, not the person, that matters most."

"But, he's immortal," Ranko argued persistently, wondering where Herb was going with this. "Doesn't that kind of eliminate any need for an heir?"

"One would think so, but the fact is, when a ruler seeks out a wife, his objective is to get an heir," Herb explained, pointing a finger for emphasis. "If he wanted companionship, he'd just take a mistress. Marriage is only useful for cementing political alliances and ensuring the legitimacy of the succession. His interest in you makes sense because the ideal choice for him is a woman who can strengthen the bloodline. His interest in me makes sense if he's only concerned about having a healthy heir and closer ties with the Amazons" Herb concluded confidently.

"So, does that mean he could be convinced to choose someone else? There must be dozens of Amazon girls who'd be happy to marry him," Ranko prompted, rubbing her temple to ward off the headache that started as soon as Herb entered lecture mode.

"I'm not so sure," Herb admitted, holding up her hands deflectively.

Cologne shrugged, "I suppose there is still a chance that we are all mistaken. All we really know for certain is that Saffron has learned of your resurrection, taken steps to learn more about you, and considered how you could be of use to him. Until he makes his intentions clear, this is all just speculation."

"You can call it speculation. Based on what he said to me, he was pretty serious about marrying Ranko," Herb insisted.

"And yet, he has shown an interest in you," Cologne pointed out. "It seems to me that the man has yet to decide what he really wants."

"Oh, that is _so_ not the right word! I almost forgot to tell you, Saffron isn't even a _man_, really!" Herb declared, with mocking laughter. Her hands clenched into fists as she remembered what she had discovered. "Before his dip in the Nanniichuan, Saffron was just a snot nosed little brat!"

Everyone stared at her, slack jawed in disbelief.

"Really?" Ukyo chirped, finding her voice first. She turned to look at Ranko, smirking as she saw the red-head holding her hand over her eyes as if suffering from a sudden migraine. Mirror met her gaze with a cocked eyebrow, and Ryouga stood next to her slowly shaking her head.

Cologne cleared her throat for attention, before observing, "He might have appeared to be a child, but Saffron is anything but that. He's almost fifteen-hundred years old, and has lived through dozens of incarnations. Countless people have underestimated that 'child' at the cost of their lives."

"Okay, so he has a grown up mind in a little kid's body. Whatever," Ranko huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew what it had been like, having been turned back into a child by Ryouga's magic aging mushrooms. Turning back to Herb, she demanded, "Back to the heir thing. Why do you think he wouldn't he go for a different Amazon?"

"I'm suspicious of the way he reacted to me," Herb replied with a shrug. "At first, he threatened to kill me if I tried to claim him by Amazon Law. I'm not sure _why_ he changed his mind after I made him doubt your suitability for marriage. He might have been drawn by my dragon nature, but a ruler doesn't marry a girl just because he finds her attractive. I think the thought of taking an Amazon bride never crossed his mind before he learned Fa Shen had been resurrected. At that point, an opportunity he'd been waiting for presented itself. Only when I made him doubt your suitability for his plans did he recognize the possibility of taking advantage of me to achieve what he was most interested in," Herb realized aloud.

"An heir," Ranko stated, seeing the logic but still not convinced. Resting a hand on her hip and frowning, she challenged, "But, how does that really help him?"

Herb chewed her lip, recognizing that as a key question. "One of the things my father said is that a ruler's hands are tied as long as his position is vulnerable. If the weakness does not lie in the person who holds it, then it has to be found in the position itself. Saffron's only a quarter phoenix, but the Hououjin consider him a god. So, his position is defined by and dependant on them, and he is tied up protecting them," she deduced, one hand propped on her chin as the other supported her elbow. "Saffron does not need an heir to his _position_, but Saffron can pass on the power to defend his _people_ to an heir. With that, Saffron would be free to extend his power beyond the limits of Phoenix Mountain," Herb concluded, crossing her arms and shifting her gaze from Ranko to Cologne.

The old woman's eyes narrowed and she nodded. "The last time Saffron attempted to extend his influence, he dealt a devastating blow to the Musk, but when they struck back at Phoenix Mountain they were able to overwhelm him with superior numbers; and once he was slain, his people were forced to retreat and devote all their resources to defending their home," Cologne recited, withered hands wrapped tightly around her walking staff.

Ranko thought about it for a moment and noticed another problem. "If you're right," she challenged Herb, "shouldn't Saffron see me as a threat? Shouldn't he be worried that his people would think a full phoenix outranked him?"

Cologne sighed, shaking her head as Ranko studied her cautiously. "Your heritage might be more pure, but Saffron has more than forty times your life experience. That kind of seniority would ensure his supremacy even if you were forty times more powerful than he is," the matriarch asserted confidently. It had been Ranko's lack of experience the Amazon Council had objected to when they refused to acknowledge her as an Elder.

"On the other hand, it would be enough to convince the Hououjin they were in safe hands if Saffron does try to expand his influence," Herb proposed, positive that Saffron would have seen the possibility. "As the mother of his heir, the Hououjin could count on you to use your power to defend Phoenix Mountain in order to protect your child. With me as the mother, if I was an Amazon, he might have been able to convince the Amazons to form a mutual defense pact. If he learns my true identity, he might try the same tactic with the Musk," she acknowledged, pausing as she realized how Saffron could have justified accepting her over Ranko.

"What is it?" Ranko demanded, seeing Herb pale.

"You're not going to like this," Herb gulped. "Saffron didn't think of settling for me if he can't have you, Ranko. He realized he could take advantage of me until he _could_ have you," she warned breathlessly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ranko asked in alarm.

"It's really simple," Cologne cut in, having reached the same conclusion as Herb. "If he can't convince you to give him what he wants, he'll simply kill you. You'll come back as a baby he can shape into whatever he wants. In fact, you'll actually _become_ the heir he is looking for, and Saffron can exploit his 'Amazon bride' until you're old enough to take her place."

"Are you kidding me?" Ranko demanded cautiously, studying the matriarch and the prince in turn. "You seriously think he'll try to kill me if I won't marry him?"

"I'm afraid so," Cologne sighed. She folded her arms and bowed her head in silence for a moment, as the unpleasant possibilities unfolded in her mind. Clearing her throat, she resumed, "We can expect him to try other ways of convincing you first. Most likely, he will try to threaten the people you care about. He'll test your weaknesses before challenging your strength."

"Didn't we just do all this with Herb?" Ranko complained, throwing out her hands in irritation. It was the same, stupid story all over again. It was starting to look like this situation could only end in a fight. "When is someone gonna have enough sense to just leave me alone?"

Before anything else could be said, the doors swung open and guards filed in to take up positions around the room as Saffron and Kiima stepped forward to confront them. While Ryouga, Mirror and Ukyo shifted to keep the guards in sight, Ranko, Herb and Cologne studied the ruler of Phoenix Mountain and the Captain of his Guard. Kiima gave them all measuring looks while Saffron devoted all of his attention to Ranko. His lip twitched at the masculine cut of the clothes she had borrowed from Prince Herb. His eyes flicked over Herb, taking in the similarities, before widening as they took in the cut and fit of the other girls' clothes, in the group that surrounded Ranko.

"Has it become the fashion, among Amazons, to wear men's clothing these days?" he demanded, catching himself off guard as the question slipped out. He could see that most of their outfits were ill-fitting, and at least two of them were of foreign design. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. He turned and whispered into Kiima's ear.

"Yes, Lord Saffron," Kiima responded, with a curt nod, before gesturing to a pair of guards and leading them through a curtained arch deeper into the lavishly appointed suite.

Saffron turned his attention to Herb. "It appears you are someone of great value to your Tribe, Herbal Rinse," he observed thoughtfully, gesturing to Cologne and Ranko as he elaborated, "seeing as an elder and the princess of your tribe have personally come to your rescue! I do hope you have been able to assure them it was not my intention to start a war by bringing you here to my home."

Cologne cleared her throat and challenged, politely, "I must say, I am rather surprised by the girl's story. Are we truly to believe that you intend to honor Amazon law and allow this warrior to claim you as her husband?"

Saffron met her accusation with a disdainful smirk. "I will permit your skepticism," he indulged regally, with a slight nod. "Obviously, things cannot be so simple as that. For one thing, the woman claims to have a prior obligation, which I believe explains the presence of at least one of these young men?"

That earned Saffron a number of shocked and surprised looks. At the same time, the curtain Kiima and the guards had passed through parted again, allowing them to fling a few buckets of hot water over Ranko and her friends. The water splashed over them, transforming Ryouga and Ukyo into boys.

While they all cursed at being drenched, and Ranko stared at Ukyo in horrified disbelief, Saffron resumed questioning Herb, "Would you do me the courtesy of introducing the man whose claim precedes mine?"

While Herb stood there, open mouthed as she tried to squeeze excess water from her clothes, Ranko flicked her wet bangs out of her eyes and stepped forward. "I can see where you're going with this, so I'm gonna stop you right there," she announced, raising a hand to silence her friends before they could urge her to keep her mouth shut.

If Saffron and his Hououjin had not been standing right there, Ranko would have confronted Ukyo and demanded an explanation for her curse. Instead, she gave the okonomiyaki chef a look that promised a confrontation in private and urged her, or rather, him, to bite his tongue.

When no one interrupted, Ranko turned to look at Herb and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but it is my fault you're in this mess," she admitted with a deep sigh. Returning her attention to Saffron, she attempted to diffuse things without revealing the entire truth. "I'm the one she thinks she's in love with."

Saffron stared at her, still shocked by the fact that Ranko had not been affected by the hot water, and stunned by Ranko's revelation. His mind tried to adjust, reevaluating everything he had learned from Herb. "It appears that you are under the influence of the Chisuiiton," he murmured aloud, "but, you could unlock your curse if you chose to."

Ranko shrugged, seeing no reason to deny it. "Yes, if I wanted to risk it."

"Risk it?" Saffron echoed.

"I used too much power in my fight with Herb. If I trigger the curse, there is a chance that my ki flow is too damaged to complete the change. That's how Prince Herb's body was destroyed," Ranko explained, deliberately leaving the story incomplete. Remembering what they had learned from the ordeal with the instant curses, she added, "It's possible that I no longer have a male form to turn into. I'm giving myself time to heal before testing it, but if I have lost it again there's still the Nanniichuan."

It was a calculated risk, revealing the weakness she might have as a result of her battle with Herb, and admitting her determination to regain her male form even if it took another curse, but Ranko felt it was necessary. If using her ki in battle was going to interfere with the curse, her fight with Taro would have already aggravated the damage. But as that fight proved, the power of the circuit had not been crippled. So, if it came to a fight, her confession might cause Saffron to underestimate her.

In the meantime, she had succeeded in confusing Saffron. He turned to Herb and asked, "Is this true? Ranko is the person you claimed to love? The person you sought water from the Nanniichuan for?" Saffron did not know if he should feel infuriated or bemused. He was not sure if their relationship helped or hindered his plans. Something in the back of his head suggested that Amazon law allowed for a situation like this to be resolved through a group marriage.

Oblivious to Saffron's speculation, Herb responded to what he'd asked aloud, "I have not proven my love to Ranko, and I don't know if the Nanniichuan would kill her or cure her right now. I was actually going to curse myself..." Herb admitted, hesitating before adding, "…but, I really don't know if I have a better chance with her as a man or a woman. It was—"

"A fool's errand," Saffron cut in, finishing for her, repeating the words Herb has used the first time he questioned her about it. There was no way to know if Herb would have gone through with cursing herself if he had not interfered, but her feelings for Ranko were obviously strong if she had even been tempted. He paced around the group, studying Ukyo and Ryouga and trying to guess the true nature of their curses. "I find it hard to believe the two of you are amazons. They would not approve of you being cursed to turn into men." He stopped and considered Ranko and Herb. Turning back to Ryouga and Herb, "Naturally, your curses make it more practical to wear clothes suited to your male forms even if you really are women, and you would want to blend in with outsiders if you had been exiled because of your curses, or to pursue the outsider responsible for getting you cursed in order to kill them. But, no. You are here with Ranko. I can't help but find that suspicious."

No one wanted to respond to that, unable to know if it would be worse to tell the truth or let Saffron speculate.

Saffron shook his head, confronting Herb with a very skeptical look. "Your words and your actions are not in agreement. If you truly believed Ranko was a man at heart, you would never think you could win him by taking a man's form. I know the penalty, if an Amazon willingly takes a sex-changing curse, so you would have to be very confident you would win Ranko as a man," Saffron accused.

Herb looked back in stubborn, sullen silence. Saffron knew he had caught her in a lie; one that made it clear that they were rivals over Ranko. He did not need a better reason to try and kill her, so there was no reason to avoid giving him one. She called carefully on her ki, searching for flaws and weak spots in the flow, and hoped for the best when she did not find any. She trapped the energy inside her, letting it build up gradually under her skin, where it would be undetectable unless Saffron touched her. "That would be true," Herb admitted with a mocking smile, "if I happened to be an Amazon."

* * *

When no one followed Shampoo into the compact, Akane had dug into their gear to find a kettle, some water to pour in it, and a portable camp stove to heat the water. She had laid out clothes for Shampoo and waited for the water to start steaming. Once Shampoo had changed and finished dressing, the Amazon had told Akane about the fight and how she had been in cat form when they ran into Ranko. While that explained why Shampoo had been sent into the compact, it also meant that Shampoo had no idea how the fight had ended. The way Cologne had reacted to discovering they were deep in Hououjin territory, Akane was sick with dread over what might have happened to Ranko and their friends. They could do nothing but worry until they were let out or someone else was sucked in. If the compact fell into the wrong hands, the next person to fall in could be a deadly foe, so Shampoo and Akane had to remain on guard.

As the minutes ticked by, feeling like hours, their nerves grew frayed. To help put Akane at ease, Shampoo pointed out, "Is good sign, Akane. First thing, anyone get hurt, Great-grandmother make look in compact, keep safe from enemy."

Akane tried to believe her, but she was too good at jumping to the worst conclusion. "Sure, if they're not dead!"

Shampoo shook her head, determined. "No. Amazon no let enemy have body. Great-grandmother make someone to carry body inside. Very sad, if happens, but very good news no happen yet," she argued optimistically.

Akane shrugged, trying to take comfort in the other girl's words. "If you say so." It took only a moment for her to think of another disaster. "What if something happens to Cologne?" she demanded fretfully.

Shampoo snorted and stared at Akane like she was crazy. "Only freak accident kill Great-grandmother some way she no can react. With last breath, if no one to give compact to, she tap, let us out. Better we fight and die than be trapped and die. If someone to give compact, she look in last thing, soon as they grab," Shampoo insisted.

Akane still had doubts, but had to admit that what Shampoo thought was more likely than what she dreaded. After a few more excruciating seconds, she growled, "God, this waiting is going to kill me!"

Shampoo laughed, giving Akane a long, thoughtful look before advising, "Is better think of something else. Distract mind."

"Yeah, right," Akane laughed in frustration, having already tried. "I'm so worried I can't think of anything else!"

"Shampoo know how distract Akane," the Amazon offered with a sly grin.

Akane stared at her suspiciously, before deciding that anything Shampoo said or did would be easier to deal with than her choking dread. Taking a deep breath to prepare for it, she nodded at Shampoo, saying, "All right, go for it."

Shampoo raised an eyebrow and studied Akane for a moment before returning her attention to the dim portal above them. When Akane followed her gaze, reminded of the need to stay on guard, Shampoo asked as calmly and respectfully as she could, "Is true girl-Akane sleep with boy-Akane?" Shampoo was braced for an explosion, but Akane did not make a peep. Shampoo glanced over to see the other girl looking away in confused mortification. Licking her lip, Shampoo gave in to her curiosity, "What that like?"

A glance confirmed that Shampoo was not mocking or judging her. It wasn't even a sordid interest. By even asking, Shampoo was admitting that she had felt the temptation Akane and Ranko had both given in to. It was a difficult question to answer, however. "I don't know how to begin to explain it," Akane protested, though she could not deny how distracting the question was, "but I'll try."

_

* * *

Ranma Nibunnoichi: Reflections – Volume 5: Paying the Price – Part 09 _

_Author's Note: Okay, so you probably were not expecting an update within ten days of the last, after waiting years between chapters. I can't promise to keep up that pace, but I will be trying. This chapter could have been longer, but I decided to make Akane's response to Shampoo into a short story of its own, so I can go into more detail about the night Akane confronted the male version of herself in the bath._


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